


it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

by wordsofink



Series: weeks of solangelo [7]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Advent, Animal Shelter, Baking, Banter, Breakfast, Cats, Christmas, Complete, Conversation, Cookies, Crushes, Cute, Domestic, Friendship, Gifts, Grocery Store, Holiday, Hot Chocolate, Kittens, M/M, Mortal AU, Movie Night, Mythomagic, Neighbors AU, Party, Phone Calls, Plants, Puppies, Secret Admirer, Secret Santa, Shopping, Slice of Life, Teaching, Texting, Vet!Will, Waiter!Nico, decorations, diner, gift a day, pet adoption fair, solangelo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-13
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-01-30 04:34:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 31,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21422266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsofink/pseuds/wordsofink
Summary: Nico has a secret admirer who's been leaving one gift a day. Is it too much to wish that it's the cute neighbor across the hall?*characters are not my own unless otherwise stated*1: candy cane2: chocolate3: stickers4: hot cocoa5: socks6: postcards7: dinosaur plushie8: mittens9: plant10: book11: candle12: phone number13: ornament14: brownies15: snow globe16: cards17: company18: blanket19: snowman20: sweater21: cuddles22: notebook23: picture frames24: calendar25: breakfastpt. 2 is now up :)
Relationships: Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace, Nico di Angelo & Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano & Will Solace
Series: weeks of solangelo [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1407370
Comments: 180
Kudos: 282





	1. candy cane

“Do you think it’s poisoned?”

“What?” Jason asks. “It’s a candy cane.”

“I know. Do you think it’s poisoned?” Nico huffs when Jason continues to look at him instead of the candy cane. It looks like any other candy cane, except that this one was left on his doorstep.

“Or maybe someone dropped it?” Jason says after a moment.

Nico shakes his head. “It was taped to our door. With a note.” He shoves the sticky note towards Jason. Finally, Jason moves his head, eyes glancing over the piece of paper.

“Whoever wrote this has terrible handwriting. Seriously, I feel bad for all of their teachers.”

“Not the point, Jason.”

“I doubt it’s poisoned, Nico. You know how this time of year is. Maybe everyone on the hall got one. I mean, you didn’t even wake up until noon. And there’s two. One for each of us.”

“I had a fifteen-page paper due.” He’d turned it in just twelve minutes before it was due and promptly fell asleep. “So you think I’ll be okay if I eat it?”

“Would it make you feel better if I ate one first?” Jason asks.

Nico sighs. “Not really. Because if it were poisoned, I’d have to live with the fact that I was right. And you were wrong. So you died.”

“Or you could take me to the hospital like a good friend,” Jason says, rolling his eyes. “I really think it’s okay. Look, the plastic wrapping is still on. Not even a tear. You know how hard these things are to get off. Remember when Percy actually tried to eat the plastic?”

Nico snorts. He remembers that day very clearly. That’s the last time he lets Percy get that drunk unattended. Slowly, he picks up the candy cane, peeling the plastic back slowly. He’s hungry, and this candy cane would be perfect in his hot cocoa. He usually adds some cinnamon, but he also really loves mint.

“Well, if I die, everything goes to you and Hazel,” Nico says. He moves towards the stove to heat up some milk, cautiously licking the end of the candy cane. It tastes fine.

“I feel very honored. Also, Piper signed you up to bake cookies for that volunteer thing she’s doing.”

“How does that even make sense?”

Jason shrugs. “Everyone knows your cookies are amazing. It’s a fundraiser.”

Nico hums. He’s flattered that everyone loves his cookies, some of his friends even fighting over them when he brings them to celebrations. But that doesn’t mean he wants to make at least five dozen for a holiday bake sale that he’s not even a part of. Still, he probably owed Piper a few favors.

“Fine. Just tell her to give me the dates.”

“Will do.”

Adding that to his mental list of things to do, Nico moves his milk off the stove, carefully pouring it into a mug. Stirring everything together with his candy cane, he sits at the table.

“I want you to witness this,” he says.

Jason rolls his eyes, but he nods, looking through yesterday’s mail as Nico drinks his hot cocoa. So far nothing felt off. Nico scrolls through his phone, deleting all of the holiday spam. He likes Christmas well enough, but he definitely doesn’t like all of the advertisements. They were annoying, shops way too desperate to let the word out on their sales.

“We need to go Christmas shopping soon,” Jason says.

Nico sighs. The only downside to having a somewhat large, close-knit group of friends was that he couldn’t just pick and choose who to give gifts to. It was all or none. And while Nico was a functional adult with a pretty good bank account, it wasn’t like he really had all that much money to be spending. Especially all at once.

“You’re lucky, you know. Being able to do couple gifts,” Nico says. Two years before, he and Piper had started the tradition of giving gifts as a couple. While there were only two couples in their friend group, Nico still felt a little jealous of them.

“Find a boyfriend,” Jason says, shrugging. “I mean, you haven’t talked to our cute neighbor in a while.”

“Don’t call him that. And shh. He might hear you.”

“The walls aren’t that thin, Nico.”

Nico raises his eyebrows. He begs to differ. He’s heard all sorts of things through these walls. He’s most definitely heard Will (the cute neighbor) singing a variety of songs through both of their closed doors. So he’s pretty sure it’s possible that Will might be able to listen in on their conversation right now.

“Even so, it might be a good conversation starter,” Jason adds.

Nico shakes his head. He’s talked to Will a few times, mostly just quick chats as they pass each other in the hall. Nothing of substance, really, though he’s gleaned a few facts. Will was currently working at the local animal hospital, he had a cat of his own (named Olive), and he looked adorable in scrubs. The few longer conversations they’ve had, Nico has mostly forgotten merely because he was too awkward to remember much detail.

“I need to go to work soon. Wish me luck. Hope I don’t die.”

Jason rolls his eyes. Honestly, Nico thinks he might be okay with dying at his job. Working at a small diner over the holiday season was definitely not the most enjoyable way to spend his time, but it paid until he could find a better job.

“Can I have your mattress if you die?”

“If I’m dead, I don’t care,” Nico calls down the hall.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Nico smiles. Maybe today could be a good day.


	2. chocolate

Nico’s not sure what to think when he sees the little gift bag of chocolates waiting outside his door. He knows they’re for him when he catches sight of his name on the tag, about the only thing he can read without a little more study. He’s just gotten back from work, and he wants nothing more than to take a hot shower and climb into bed.

The day had been exhausting, customers being loud and full of holiday spirit. It wasn’t that Nico was a Grinch— he loves the holiday— but there is something to be said for people making themselves too much at home in public places.

“What’s that?” Jason asks. He’s on the couch, reading a book. Unlike Nico, Jason worked from home for the most part. Sometimes he had to go out and meet people and actually hold meetings, but most of his work was done on the couch in his pjs. Nico was definitely envious this exact moment.

“Chocolate. All mine,” he adds.

Jason smirks. “Quick turn around from yesterday.” Nico shrugs. If someone’s out to kill him, he’s sure they have a good reason. And what better way to go out than chocolate. At least he can say that he doesn’t have any regrets.

“I need to find another job. Fast.”

He’s put out a lot of applications, but the hiring process was slow. And there weren’t a lot of jobs that were any better than his current diner job. Half of the problem is that Nico doesn’t quite know what he wants do still. He’s got a history degree, and he’d been hoping to work with some sort of museum or library, but those jobs were looking pretty hard to get into. All he knows is that he definitely doesn’t want to work in anything legal or political.

“I think Piper mentioned that the high school is hiring. Maybe there’s a good opening for you,” Jason says.

Nico nods, sighing. He’s considered teaching, but he’s not quite sure how good he’d be around kids. It’s not that he hates them, but he’s definitely not known for his patience.

“I’ll look into it.”

Maybe teaching would at least get him out of that diner. And then he could at least say he’s tried it out.

“Also, I’ll be gone this weekend,” Jason says. “Work meeting.” He rolls his eyes.

“Cutting it pretty close there.”

“I know. But apparently, they moved some things around, and they really want to get this stuff approved before the new year.”

Nico doesn’t understand half the stuff Jason talks about, but he does know construction takes forever if Annabeth’s rants are anything to go off of. So parks were probably the same way.

“Does this one at least have trees?”

“Yup. As for now, at least.”

Nico hums in sympathy. The last plans Jason had created had been altered to fit in a playground, removing the trees from the proposed plans. Both Jason and Piper had vented for days.

“I’m gonna take a bath and eat my chocolate,” Nico says.

Their bathtub wasn’t all that big, but it was big enough for Nico to sit comfortably inside. He heats the water until the mirror is steamed up, sinking into it. A small sigh leaves his mouth, and he proceeds to sort through his chocolates. Whoever had sent them definitely knew what Nico liked. There wasn’t a single one with walnuts or almonds, and most of them were milk chocolate.

He slips one into his mouth, letting it melt on his tongue. The only good part about his day so far was the smile he’d gotten from Will as he’d entered the building this afternoon. They’d passed each other, and Will had lifted his hand in a small wave. And now Nico had chocolates. So maybe this day was looking up.

By the time he’s finished his chocolates, his fingers are pruny and the water is getting cold. He towels off, changing into comfy clothes and joining Jason on the couch.

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Dunno. I thought you were cooking.”

“I cooked last night,” Nico whines. “Do we really need to eat every night?”

“We’re adulting, remember?” Jason asks.

“Why did we sign up for that again?”

“Because we thought we could function on our own.”

Nico huffs. “I think we have some bread. Does that count?”

“Do we at least have cheese?” Jason asks.

Nico shrugs. “Dunno. I guess I should go shopping tomorrow.”  
“You do have to make cookies for this weekend.”

Nico sighs. “Fine. I’ll go shopping tomorrow. Can we just get take out tonight?”

Jason thinks for a moment. “Yeah, whatever. I’ve been craving Chinese food all day. Where’s my phone?”

Nico grins in victory, already dialing the number. (No, he doesn’t have it memorized.) He orders the food, his stomach growling despite his snack of chocolate. He sets his phone down, closing his eyes.

“Wake me up when it gets here.”


	3. stickers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> solangelo interaction!

Nico unwraps his scarf, not too pleased at how cold it had suddenly gotten. Why had he agreed to go shopping this morning? He had work later this afternoon, though, and Jason was on some sort of deadline before his conference thing. So if they wanted to eat, Nico had to get groceries now.

Nico grabs a buggy from the front and starts pushing it around as he attempts to read the list he’d scribbled out this morning. Whatever. He knows what foods he and Jason eat. Grocery shopping shouldn’t be that hard, right?

“Fancy seeing you here,” comes a voice, and Nico spins around, almost ramming his buggy into a display of holiday soaps.

“Will, hey,” Nico says. “What’re you doing here?”

Will smiles. “Getting some shopping done,” he says, and Nico wants to slap himself in the face. Of course Will would come to the grocery store to shop. “You?”

Nico nods. “Same. I like eating.”

Will hums. “As a future doctor, I highly recommend eating.”

Nico just wants to walk out of the store and try this whole thing all over again. He repositions his buggy, fumbling with his shopping list again in an attempt to dispel this awkward conversation.

“So, have any holiday plans?” Will asks.

Nico shrugs. “Some. My friends always have this holiday party. And then I might visit my family.” He can just make out the word cheese at the bottom of the list. Why did he write this in pencil? “You?”

“Nothing much. Probably just working until I go home to see my family.”

“You don’t have any friends?” Nico asks, quickly grabbing a can off the nearest shelf to keep himself from making awkward eye contact with Will.

“I do, but they’re all pretty busy this year.”

“Well, you’re probably welcome to come hang out with my friends. They live by the motto: the more, the merrier.”

“Yeah?” Will asks. “I might have to take you up on that.”

“Sure. Beats spending the holidays alone, you know?”

Will grins, and Nico has to remind himself that he’s in public, that they’re at the grocery store. That he has work in four hours. Why hasn’t he learned how to handle himself around crushes yet? You’d think it was a life skill someone would pick up eventually.

“I guess I’ll leave you to do your shopping,” Will says, and Nico feels a bit disappointed. “I’ve got to get home to Olive. Really only came to get some cat food. She’s probably tearing up my curtains right as we speak.”

Nico snorts. He’d never really met Olive, but she’d seemed like a very well-behaved cat. If the fact that Will had taught her some tricks was anything to go by.

“Right. Well, I guess I’ll see you around. Don’t be a stranger,” Nico says, pushing his cart forward. Will waves, giving Nico one last smile before he heads to the check-out counters. Nico narrowly misses running over a lady before disappearing down another aisle.

Taking a few deep breaths, Nico hurries through his shopping as quick as he can, needing some time to straighten (ha) himself out before he has to appear in public again. He manages to make it home in one piece, though his heart rate is still somewhat alarmingly high. At least he can say his cheeks are pink from the cold. Right?

“You’re back early,” Jason says. “Also, that stuff on the table is for you.”

Nico peers around the bags of groceries he’s just deposited, finding a couple of cat stickers, the nice kind that didn’t just peel off after a few days.

“For what? From who?” Nico asks.

“Dunno. Probably from whoever’s been sending you the other stuff. You know, the chocolates and candy canes,” Jason says without looking up.

Nico looks at the stickers. They were really cute, and he was definitely the kind of person to stick stuff on his laptop cover and notebooks. He tells himself that it hides the cracks in the cover, but he really does just like the look of the collage of stickers. He doesn’t have too many yet, too picky about what he sticks on there. But these stickers were perfect. He abandons the groceries that don’t need any refrigerating and grabs his laptop, carefully applying the first sticker.

“That’s cute,” Jason says, appearing in the kitchen. “Whoever’s sending these seems to know you.”

Nico hums. “Should I be creeped out?”

Jason shrugs. “Probably not. I mean, it’s been pretty innocent so far. And you clearly didn’t die from the candy.”

Nico huffs. “I was being cautious.” He puts the second sticker on his cover, smiling. “Should I figure out who’s sending the stuff? Do you think they’ll keep doing it?”

“Who knows?” Jason grins. “Maybe it’s like those secret admirer things. Like a secret Santa thing!”

Nico doesn’t think that sounds too bad. He loves getting presents, and these presents were pretty spot-on so far. He finds the note stuck to the bottom of a grocery bag. It’s the same terrible handwriting, but he can make out his name.

“Guess we’ll just have to see tomorrow.”


	4. hot cocoa

Nico’s having a bad day. It started off when he’d woken up late, and then he’d lost his gloves somewhere between the parking lot and the diner. And now he was stuck behind the counter of the diner, filling coffees and wiping up syrup puddles and dealing with screaming kids.

Seriously, Nico just needs a break, but he’s still got at least three hours of his shift left. And there isn’t a single coworker who wants to take over his shift. Not that he blames them. He’d definitely rushed to write down all of the days he wanted off just to make sure that he kept some of his sanity.

“Nico, we need another order of pancakes for table seven!” someone calls, as if Nico’s the one manning the griddle. His job right now is to watch the register for whenever customers decide to finally leave. And for those who are just stopping by for a quick meal and want their coffee refilled in a timely manner.

Sighing, he makes his way to the kitchen window, calling back. He feels a little bad, but there really isn’t time for him to go up to Dan and ask him personally to make another stack of pancakes. Nico doesn’t even want to know what happened to the original stack.

He’s still frowning when he comes back to the counter, relieved to see that the older gentleman had finally moved to the register. He puts on his customer service smile, ringing up the check before turning back to the counter. It’s mostly deserted at this time. The dinner rush usually brought in families and those getting off work, so most people were filling up the booths and tables.

“Hey, long time no see,” comes a familiar voice. Nico looks up to see Will standing at the counter, a pink scarf wrapped around his neck. He’s still in his scrubs, so Nico guesses he just got off of work as well. It’s ridiculous how adorable his curls and pink cheeks look right now. “I hear this place has good breakfast. And I could sell my kidney for some pancakes right now.”

Nico jerks back to his senses when someone dings the bell by the register. He holds up a hand, asking Will to wait while he rings up a family. The mother drops some change into the TIP jar, and Nico smiles at her. Will’s still waiting.

“You’re welcome to sit at the counter. If you don’t want to wait for a booth,” Nico says. Will hums, pulling out a chair. He plops himself down right in front of Nico. “Um, here’s a menu. I know you said that you’re in the mood for pancakes, but we’re known for our French toast.”

Nico makes his coffee rounds to avoid staring at Will while he peruses the menu. He’s kind of thrown off by seeing Will here. It’s not really that unlikely, though, as the diner is pretty close to their apartment building. And it is rated pretty high on all of the food apps. But he doesn’t remember seeing Will here, even though he’s been working here for at least two years. He’d remember, right?

“Ready to order?” Nico asks, moving back to Will.

“Yup. Think I’ll have the French toast after all. Gotta take a local suggestion, you know?” Nico stops himself from rolling his eyes. He doesn’t think Will would mind, but he knows his boss would. “And I’ll add strawberries. And some hot chocolate.”

“Good choice,” Nico says, pushing the menu away as he rings up Will’s order. He’s now glad for the busy chaos of the diner, so that he has things to do other than hover around Will and attempt to make awkward conversation. Not that he’d mind that too much either.

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Will says when Nico brings his hot chocolate, “but I just never really pictured you in this setting.”

Nico hopes his face doesn’t show the range of emotions he’s just flung himself through. Will’s thought about him? Was that a normal neighborly thing to do?

“What did you picture me doing?”

“Something a bit more, um, nerdy, I guess. Like teaching or writing history textbooks.” Will shrugs, looking a little embarrassed now. “Not that you look like a nerd. But you said something about being a history major, right?”

Nico nods. “Yup. Actually, my dream job until a few years ago was to work in a museum. Clearly, that didn’t play out. But, oh well.”

Will hums. Nico resists telling Will that he’s got a whipped cream mustache. That’s not professional, is it? “So do you like this job? Or is it just a temporary thing?”

“I mean, it’s not a bad job,” Nico says. He can’t exactly diss his job while he’s wearing the uniform, but he doesn’t want to lie. “I’ve been putting out applications for other things, but with the holiday season, everyone’s a little busy.”

“What’s your dream job?” Will asks. “If you don’t mind me asking. If I’m being too nosy, just walk away or something.”

Nico snorts. “I have no idea anymore. Still trying to figure it out.”

“That’s cool.”

“Yeah?”

Will nods. “I had no idea what I wanted to do. I mean, I knew I liked science and whatever, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do with it until I started volunteering at the animal shelter in high school for service hours. And then I just fell in love with it. Decided to go and get my degree. Now I’m here.” He gestures to his scrubs.

“Wish it were that simple.”

“What if you just tried one new thing per month?” Will asks. “Just dip your toes in to get a feel. Maybe stay longer if you’re more curious. Some things I bet you’ll know pretty quickly. I used to think I might like surgery.” Will makes a face. “One of the worst days of my life.”

“Not one for bodily fluids?”

“I can do bodily fluids. I work at an animal shelter after all. But hospitals just make me so anxious. And I didn’t quite agree with the hours.”

Nico can see that. “Well, guess I’ll cross doctor off my list,” Nico says. He moves to deliver a couple plates of food before getting Will’s French toast.

“I can’t wait. This looks amazing.”

Nico doesn’t say anything. He’s probably become desensitized to the food after having been around it so long. And he’s eaten his fair share of the menu as well. Still, breakfast was his favorite meal of the day, even if he hated getting up early for it. At least this diner served it all day long.

“So how is it?”

“Amazing,” Will says, wiping his mouth. “Better than my mama’s, but you can’t tell her that.”

Nico laughs. “My lips are sealed.”

He leaves Will alone to eat, making his rounds a couple of times. There are a few regulars in by the window, so Nico makes sure to keep their mugs full and tables cleared of anything they don’t want anymore. By now, most of this is just going through the motions. He’s not really known as one of the chatty staff, but he gets along with customers okay.

“Finished?” Nico asks Will.

“Yup. Send my regards to the chef.”

Nico smiles. “Of course. Here’s your check. You can pay at the register.”

They do a little shuffle as Will moves over a few seats, pulling out his wallet.

“I’ll see you around, Nico,” Will says as he leaves.

The rest of Nico’s shift is spent in a little bit of a slump. It wasn’t that he was having a great day before, but something about talking to Will had helped a little. And now that Will was gone, Nico was back where he’d started. When he gets back to his apartment, cold fingers fumbling with his keys, he sees a lumpy package on his doormat, his name written in Sharpie on the outside.

Smiling a little, Nico hardly waits until he’s inside to open it. Peeling back the wrapping paper, he finds a mug, little reindeer decorating the outside, and three hot chocolate packages tucked inside. Nico inspects the paper, trying to figure out if there are any clues. Someone wouldn’t just leave him gifts every day out of the kindness of their heart, would they?

He’s too tired to think on it long, deciding he’ll deal with it later. Right now, he’s got some hot chocolate to make.


	5. socks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we meet will's cat :)

The radio is playing softly in the background while Nico ties his hair back. He’s still in his pjs, but he could care less. It’s his day off, and he intends to use it to the fullest. Starting with baking a few batches of his cookies for Piper’s bake sale. It wasn’t until Monday, but he wouldn’t really have time to do this tomorrow. And the cookies would last until then, especially since Jason was gone for the weekend.

Nico’s just put the first batch in the oven when he realizes that he’s short a couple of ingredients. He hadn’t realized Jason had been eating eggs for breakfast these past few mornings or else he’d have bought more. But now he was short, and he couldn’t exactly go to the store right now. And Jason wasn’t around to send out.

Nico glances at the time on the oven, looking around the kitchen like eggs would just magically appear out of the blue.

It’s not until he hears a door slam upstairs that Nico finally gets an idea. He really hopes Will’s home. After checking the oven once more he grabs his keys and phone and dashes across the hall, knocking on Will’s door. It’s only a few seconds before it’s opening, Will smiling at him.

“Good morning,” Will says. “What’s up?”

“Do you have any eggs?” Nico asks.

Will pauses, clearly not expecting the question. “Um, I think I do. How many do you need?”

“How many do you have?”

“At least half a dozen,” Will says, counting on his fingers.

“Can I have them all?”

“Sure, you want to step inside? You can say hi to Olive.” Nico shrugs, following Will inside while he opens the fridge. Nico’s never been over here, but the layout is pretty similar to his own apartment. The only difference is that Will clearly lives here. The bright blue couch and the yellow rugs, the white curtains. A fluffy cat is snoozing on the windowsill. Nico’s tempted to go over to her, but he doesn’t want to disturb her nap.

“Um, nice place,” Nico says.

“Thanks. Here are your eggs. Making a big breakfast or something?”

“Nope. Just a lot of cookies.” Nico holds the egg carton, wondering if there’s a non-awkward way to exit. “I, um, kind of left the oven on.”

Will hums. “Right. Don’t want to burn down the building.”

Nico nods, bouncing on his heels once before he lets himself out. There’s still two minutes on the clock when he gets back, depositing the eggs on the counter. It’s not until he’s cracking them into a bowl that he realizes he should probably repay Will for this somehow.

When the timer goes off, Nico quickly prepares another batch, checking the make sure the first batch is done. While he’s not too worried about what the PTO mothers will think about his cookies, he does have a bit of a reputation to uphold. And while he grumbles about doing this, he’s pretty flattered that Piper asks him to bake cookies every single year. She’s told him that they’re some of the quickest items to sell out.

The recipe is his great-grandmother’s, and Nico’s learned it by heart. He takes a few liberties, adding in some more chocolate or vanilla extract where he sees fit, but the rest of it is basically science. There’s a fine line between getting the perfect crunch on the outside and the chewy and gooey center.

Pretty soon, his counters are full of cookies or dishes to be washed. The whole apartment smells like heaven, and Nico’s stomach is growling. He tells himself he can eat just a couple of cookies before lunch. After all, he feels like he’s earned it. After lunch, he’ll have to bag up all of the cookies so Piper can pick them up.

It takes him almost another hour to bag up all of the cookies, but at least the counters look a little better now. He’s got at least four bags for Piper to pick up, and if he’s kept a tin or two of cookies for himself, no one will know. Nico chews on his lip when he sees the little baggie he put together for Will. It’s nothing fancy. Just some cookies in a ziplock bag, but he’s never given Will anything.

Though looking back on it, Will’s probably given him plenty. Nico runs a hand through his hair, sighing. He might as well get it over with.

“Hey,” Will says. He’s dressed in sweatpants, his arms full of cat. “How’d the baking go?”

“I have cookies for you,” Nico says. He holds them out to Will before realizing that Will probably can’t just drop Olive to accept the cookies.

“You’re amazing, Nico. Gods, I love cookies.”

Nico smiles, still holding the bag out. Will blinks, seeming to realize the situation as he shifts Olive to his shoulder, cradling her legs. “Did I interrupt something?”

Will shakes his head. “Just some cuddles. She gets clingy when I’m around other animals. Territorial and all,” Will says, smiling.

Olive gives a loud purr as Will strokes her back, and Nico smiles. Will was adorable, and he was even more adorable with a fluff ball of a cat in his arms. Olive moves to nuzzler her face against Will’s cheek, probably trying to regain his full attention.

“Well, just thought I’d give you some cookies,” Nico says. “Holiday spirit and all. And you did let me take your eggs.”

Will laughs. “Yes, guess I’ll have to make do without any omelets for a few days. But cookies for breakfast isn’t a bad tradeoff.”

Nico shrugs. “You’re the doctor.”

“Almost,” Will says. “I have the scrubs. Don’t quite have the degree yet.” Olive bats at Will’s face, and Will rolls his eyes affectionately. “Olive, I’m talking to a friend. Don’t interrupt, please.”

“She’s cute,” Nico says. “But I should probably head back. Can’t leave all the cookies unattended and whatnot.”

“Well, if you ever need help eating them, I’d gladly extend my help,” Will says. “See you around, Nico.”

Nico smiles, giving a wave. Olive lets out a meow, practically climbing Will’s shoulder as Nico steps into the hall. It’s not until Will’s shut his door that Nico sees the lumpy package leaning against his doorframe. Was that there when he’d come out? It was pretty easy to miss.

Unwrapping it, he finds a pair of fuzzy cat-printed socks. They’re all in yoga poses, and Nico laughs. These were just like the socks that Jason and Percy liked to buy him for his stocking. Nico slips them on, padding around the kitchen. Again, there’s no note on the paper other than his name, which wasn’t much to go on.

Maybe he could enroll the help of Piper. She liked to sleuth, and she was pretty good at it. Of course, what were the chances that she’d be able to sniff out exactly who was dropping off gifts for Nico. Right now, he only knew about two things: they had horrible handwriting, and they knew where Nico lived.

Which narrowed it down to Nico’s friend group, a small selection of people at work (unless someone had gone through the employee files), and whoever might have bribed his friends for Nico’s address. Which meant that he most likely knew of the person. But probably not too well since he knew most of his friends’ handwriting pretty well. Unless they were faking how bad it was.

Nico doesn’t even know anymore. Maybe further gifts would give him more information.


	6. postcards

“Like a secret admirer?” Piper asks. She’s made herself at home on Nico’s couch, a tin of cookies open on her lap. Nico rolls his eyes at the scene. She’d let herself in, and Nico had walked in, gift in hand, to find her just like this. It wasn’t like this happened often, but Piper definitely didn’t define boundaries like most people.

“I guess? Is this what secret admirer’s do?”

“Don’t tell me you never had one, Nico.” Nico shrugs. If he did, he never paid much attention. He’d still been figuring out his sexuality in high school. And there were way too many people in college for him to ever just meet someone. It wasn’t like he never went on dates, but usually those were more forward than this method.

“But you think this person likes me?”

Piper rolls her eyes. “Of course this person likes you. No one else would be this dedicated to leaving you gifts. And these aren’t just gifts that someone’s finding around their house. They’re definitely thinking of you.”

Nico blushes a little. He’d considered the idea, but he didn’t want to just jump to conclusions. Today’s gift had been an assortment of postcards with historical paintings on them. Which was just too close to Nico’s expertise for it to be a coincidence. He had to agree with Piper there. Honestly, Nico knows he’s never going to send those cards because he just loves looking at them.

“Maybe this is like a twelve days of Christmas thing,” Piper says. “Or it could be an advent calendar thing. I guess we’ll have to see.”

Nico shrugs. “I guess. It’s not like I can just ask whoever’s sending these.”

“True. And the gifts are specific but not super personal yet,” Piper says. “So it could really be anyone.” She pauses. “Anyone seem interested in you at work?”

Nico shivers, shaking his head. “I sure hope not.” He doesn’t mind his co-workers, but tolerate might be the verb he’d used. Some of them are definitely better than others, but he’s pretty sure Lou Ellen has a girlfriend, and Jake doesn’t seem interested in anything but this one regular. And he doesn’t even know the others too well to even try and guess their intentions.

“Okay, so maybe not work,” Piper says. “What about school? Anyone that you might have just fallen out of touch with?”

“Piper, you know the answer to that.”

Piper huffs. “I’m just trying to help you, Nico. I know you don’t tell me everything. Sometimes I need to snoop around.” She pauses, pulling out her phone. Nico watches her tap a few things before he realizes that she’s pulling up his social media pages.

“Please don’t,” he groans. He hasn’t updated in a while, but he can definitely remember the somewhat angsty and definitely trying-too-hard posts that were still archived. They’re mostly just pictures of nature and art and random history facts.

“I’m just looking at who’s following you,” Piper says. “Though I do really like this post of you in the museum.”

Nico huffs. He’d been geeking out and wanted to share it with the rest of the world. Too bad that no one else seemed to really care. Not that Nico minded. But he doesn’t know why he tried so hard to seem like he did on his social media.

“Nothing,” Piper hums. “Which means that they’re either some creepy stalker or they’re perfect for you.”

“Right. And how do I distinguish?” Nico asks.

Piper tosses her phone to the other end of the couch, shoving another bite of cookie into her mouth. “Dunno. Maybe you could ask around. Who have you talked about your art history stuff to?”

Nico thinks back. Because he loves it so much, he’s kind of talked to anyone who’ll listen. Which isn’t super helpful.

“This is so you, you know,” Piper says. “Having a secret admirer and not being able to figure it out.”

“Isn’t that the point of them being secret?”

Piper shrugs. “I feel like most people at least have some idea of who they want it to be. Or who they think it is,” she says.

Nico hopes Piper doesn’t see his blush. There’s definitely someone he wants it to be, but he doubts it’s him. After all, they were just neighbors. Sometimes Nico talked his ear off in passing, and sometimes Will offered his help. But they didn’t really hang out. They’d been living across from each other for at least a year, and they’d only really started having conversations this past month.

“I can see your face, you know. Who’re you thinking about?”

“Piper.”

“Nope. I know that face. Spill, please.”

Nico shrugs. “I was just thinking of the gifts, you know. How nice they are. I don’t know."

“And you have an idea?”

“Not really.”

Piper sits up, waving a cookie at Nico. “Please? It’ll make my life so much easier if you just tell me now.”

Nico glances at the door, hoping the walls aren’t as thin as he knows they are. “Just maybe Will, I guess,” he says quietly. He’s not prepared for the wide grin Piper gives him.

“That’s cute. No, I mean it. Seriously.” She hands him a cookie, and Nico takes it. He’s not about to say no to a free cookie. Even if he made them. “Do you think he likes you back?”

“Probably not. I mean, we’re just neighbors.”

“That’s not a reason. You can have crushes on your neighbors.”

“Well, we’ve never really talked. Like, sometimes we do. But not really.”

“So talk to him. Maybe this is his way of wanting to talk to you more. Maybe he’s hoping you’ll ask him about the gifts, and then he can ask you out.” Piper wiggles her eyebrows.

“Aren’t you going to be late for something?”

“You’re in denial, Nico. And yes. But it’s just picking Jason up from the airport. It’s fine. He’s probably finding the closest coffee shop right now.”

“Fine. I’ll talk to him,” Nico says, only to get Piper off his back, really.

Piper stands up, nodding. “You better. If you don’t, I will.”

Nico knows she’s not kidding. “Yeah, yeah. Just give me a few days, okay?”

“Oh! You could invite him to the party!”

Nico rolls his eyes. “I’ll think about it.”

“No, you definitely should. Is he doing anything for the holidays? Does he celebrate?”

“I don’t know. Probably.”

“Well, you should definitely find out. And if he does, invite him!”

Nico sighs. There’s no winning this. He nods. “I promise. Just go pick up Jason before he starts calling. And leave the cookies!”

Piper pouts, but she leaves the tin on the counter. Nico pretends he doesn’t see the two cookies in her hand. She grabs the bags of bake sale cookies on the way out, sending Nico a little wave.

Once she’s gone, Nico lets out a breath. He loves Piper, but sometimes she could be a bit much. He looks at the postcards on the table. He’d at least studied a couple of them, but some he definitely didn’t know much about. He looks at his bookshelf. He’s got some time to do a little research before Jason got back.


	7. dinosaur plushie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just a short chapter for today :)
> 
> thank you all so much for reading! this has been fun to write :)

Nico feels like he should be doing more to get into the holiday spirit, but he’s still got work and bills to pay and meals to cook. Honestly, he’s not sure it’s quite felt like this in a long time. Usually, Percy and Jason were pestering him to start decorating after Thanksgiving, but they were busy this year with their own stuff.

Right now, Jason was currently sleeping off jet lag, and Percy was probably giving his beloved tours to the visitors of the aquarium. Piper was still busy teaching children, and Annabeth was busy as always. Which left Hazel, but she was busy with her boyfriend. And anyway, Hazel’s version of Christmas focused a lot less on the material stuff. Which is why she gave the best presents.

So that leaves Nico laying on the couch, still in his work uniform because he has no motivation to change out of it. After all, what’s he going to do? Just come back to lay on the couch some more? When did he actually become an adult?

Nico glances around the room, wondering what would help him get into the holiday spirit. He considers watching a movie, but Christmas movies were for family movie nights, not lonesome afternoons. He could probably start decorating, but that was also kind of lonely.

Sighing, he grabs his laptop, pulling up several applications. He’d opened them last night before deciding they could wait another day. Now, he guesses he should complete them.

Nico looks over his resume. There isn’t really much to add. He’s done a few volunteer things, a few odd jobs, and his diner job. Nothing that would really stand out. Gods, why was the job market so competitive nowadays? Nico had skills. He had knowledge. He shouldn’t be completing applications just because he’s not properly in the holiday spirit.

He manages to send out three applications in the next two hours. He hopes he doesn’t sound too desperate, but he’s not sure how much longer he can keep working at the diner. The odd hours made him feel either overworked or unproductive. Like today. He’d worked the opening shift, so he’d gotten home around noon, ate a quick lunch, and then face planted into the couch.

Maybe he should decorate. Jason wouldn’t be too mad if Nico just put up a couple of things. Or maybe Nico should do the laundry. The ever-growing pile definitely wasn’t going to clean itself, and Nico should probably care if he’s wearing clean clothes.

Nico wrestles their laundry basket down the stairs, scrolling through his phone while he waits for the wash cycle to end. He remembers the days of making Christmas lists, of baking cookies with his mom and Hazel, of that excitement to count down the days until Christmas. Now, he’s sitting in a basement laundry room looking at pictures of other people having fun.

When did he get so boring? Most of his days revolved around chores and work and figuring out what he was going to eat next and when. He can’t remember the last time he actually did something for fun. Well, he’d baked those cookies. But he probably wouldn’t have done that if Piper hadn’t signed him up for the bake sale. She’d texted him this morning to tell him that they’d already sold out of his within two hours of starting.

By the time his laundry is done, Nico wants to just go back to bed and start all over again tomorrow. Tomorrow, he had to work again, but he could still squeeze in something fun, right? He could go to the bookstore downtown and browse or maybe sit in a cafe and not have to worry about refilling people’s coffee mugs. Or maybe he could actually get some Christmas shopping done since he hasn’t even started yet.

He trudges back up the stairs, the clean laundry feeling a lot heavier than it did when it was dirty. He’s so focused on wanting to crawl back into bed that he almost misses another lumpy package by his door.

Nico can feel a smile forming on his face as he bends over to pick it up. He abandons the laundry on the couch, deciding that it’ll just give him something to do next time he’s bored out of his mind. His name is scribbled near the top, and Nico feels excitement bubbling in his chest. What would it be today? The package wasn’t very heavy.

He’s honestly surprised when he rips apart the paper to find a purple plush dinosaur, complete with a Santa hat. He doesn’t think he’s been gifted a plush since he was eight. But it’s the perfect thing for a day like today. It’s large and squishy enough to be the perfect cuddling companion. Nico quickly changes into his pjs, falling into his bed, his new dinosaur buddy snuggled against his chest.

Nico never knew such a simple and random gift could make him so happy. He never knew he was missing a purple dinosaur in his life. And maybe it doesn’t make his day completely better, but it definitely helps. Nico lets out a sigh, snuggling further into the blankets.

Tomorrow he’d do something for himself.


	8. mittens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some perfect fluff for the holidays :)

Never has a whole day before him been so daunting. He’s currently standing by the bus stop, no idea of what to do or where to go. Deciding that he probably looks better walking than blocking traffic, he starts to follow the crowd. Two hours later, he’s perused a book store, gotten a blueberry muffin, and gotten lost trying to find the art gallery.

His hands are cold and he’s missing his gloves when he ducks into another store. He doesn’t bother looking at the sign, deciding it doesn’t matter anymore. He’s just exploring at this point, no particular purpose. He’s surprised to see a dog snoozing at the front desk until he looks at the sign above the door.

Animal Shelter.

“Hey, Nico!” Will says, smiling brightly. “What brings you here today?”

Nico shrugs. “Just kind of walking around.”

“Well, I’m glad you stopped by. We could actually use a couple extra hands.”

“What?” Nico asks. He knows very little about animals despite loving them. “I don’t know anything.”

“It’s nothing super complicated,” Will says. “We’re just short staffed because of the flu that’s going around.”

“So what I am helping you do?”

Will leads him towards the back, and Nico can’t stop the smile on his face. They’ve just walked into what looks like dog paradise. The animal shelter leads to a small fenced-in yard with a half dozen dogs milling around. Will smiles at him before nodding.

“Go on. Pick a dog,” he says.

“What do you mean?”

“I know you want to pet one.”

Nico wants to pet all of them. He’s always wanted a dog or a cat, but he’s never had the time or money to get one. He goes immediately to a labradoodle, laughing when the dog jumps up to greet him.

“That’s Felix,” Will says. “He’s pretty friendly. Loves visitors.”

“Why hasn’t anyone adopted him yet?”

“Not quite house-trained yet,” Will says with a sigh. “Some people don’t quite realize the amount of work that goes into shelter adoptees. But we’re trying to change that. In fact, we’re having a pet adoption event later this week.”

“So what do you need my help with?” Nico asks. He subtly wipes the drool from his cheek, patting Felix on the head.

“Um, if you wouldn’t mind, I just kind of need you to hang out with the dogs while I give them all a quick check-up.”

“I don’t mind,” Nico says.

Will laughs, smiling. “Thanks, you’re the best.”

Nico’s expecting Will to leave him, but Will actually brings his kit out into the yard. “It helps them stay more calm, and we’re not doing anything too intrusive unless signs show we need to,” Will explains.

“So is this what your job is? Just hanging out with animals?”

“Sort of,” Will says. “This is the more glamorous side of the job. The other side is constantly cleaning up after them. And the mixed feelings that come when they get adopted.”

Nico nods. He can’t imagine bonding with a dog only to have someone else welcome them into their family. He’s only been here for about twenty minutes, but he’s already fallen in love with Felix.

Nico finds himself sitting in the middle of the yard, dogs coming up to give him bones and toys and to just sit in his lap. They were all super friendly after getting over their initial stranger-danger. And it’s adorable how Will calls each over by their name, hanging out with them for a bit before he starts the check-up.

“Hey, Nico?” Will calls after checking over Felix. “Can you help me with Ginger? She’s new here, so she’s still a bit shy.”

Will plops down next to Nico, holding a puppy. Nico holds out his hand, smiling when Ginger sniffs at it before giving it a tentative lick. Will beams, and Nico hopes he’s not blushing too much. Will’s much too adorable holding a puppy. After a little bit, Ginger wobbles to her feet, plopping over to Nico’s lap with a little guidance from Will.

“Perfect. Now I can start the check-up.”

Nico just nods. He’s never been this close to Will before, actually having their hands brush against each other as Will checks each of Ginger’s paws.

“Where did you find her?”

“She was brought in last week. I think someone’s dog had puppies, and she never got adopted,” Will says softly. “But we’ll find her a home soon. Won’t we, beautiful girl?”

Nico hums before he realizes that the last part was directed towards Ginger. She was definitely still a puppy, probably an Australian Shepard. Will scratches behind her ears, and Ginger lets out a tiny yawn. She’s still yawning when Will finishes the check-up.

“You’re more than welcome to just hang out here if you want. I think Ginger’s definitely bonding with you. I wish more people came in to play with the dogs. They get lonely sometimes, and I can only spend so much time with them.”

“Maybe we could go inside, though?” Nico asks. “My hand are getting cold.”

Will frowns for a moment. “You don’t have mittens?”

Nico shakes his head. “Lost them. But the dogs have kept them warm.”

They both look down at Ginger in his lap. She looks way too content for Nico to disturb her, but his legs are falling asleep. So he stands carefully, moving inside with Will.

“Won’t they get cold?” Nico asks.

Will shakes head. “They’re all trained to use the doggy door,” he says, gesturing to the slot in the door. “It leads to their inside playpen, so they won’t freeze. And Cecil’s coming in later to help out. They all love him.”

Nico carries Ginger as they head to the front of the building. Will’s still talking about the animals, calling each by their names and giving Nico a brief rundown.

“You should come to the adoption event. If you can, I mean,” Will says. “Even if you don’t want to adopt. It’s still nice when people stop by to play with the animals.”

Nico’s arms are starting to get tired, but he doesn’t want to set Ginger down. Or leave. Hanging out with Will and petting cute dogs is probably the highlight of his week. And it’s only Tuesday.

“I can take her,” Will says gently. “I know she’s heavier than she looks.”

Nico shrugs. “I can hold her. At least for a little longer. I do have work later today.”

Will smiles softly at him. “Yeah, probably not a good idea to miss work.” He pauses. “How’s finding a new job?”

“I sent out some applications, so fingers crossed.”

“I’m sure you’ll get the job. Who wouldn’t want you?” Will pats Nico’s shoulder gently.

Nico manages to stay there for another half hour before Ginger wakes. Then Will’s leading her back to the playpen. Nico’s arms feel relieved but empty when Will gets back.

“Guess I should get ready for work,” he says after a moment.

“Wouldn’t want to be late. Thanks for stopping by. And you’re welcome back anytime.”

Will gives him a wave, and Nico narrowly misses running into the front door. He’s not looking forward to work, but his shifts ends up not being too bad. He’s still exhausted by the time he gets back. His arms miss holding cute puppies, but at least he can sleep now.

“Got your daily package,” Jason calls from the kitchen.

Nico does not hurry over to open it. He just walks quickly over to the table to rip open the latest present. While he never really remembers the daily occurrence, he realizes he’s begun to look forward to them every day.

“Mittens?” Jason asks.

“I think so,” Nico says slowly. It’s got to be a coincidence, right? He looks at the paper. Same horrible handwriting. Same wrapping paper. Hs looks at the mittens. They’re black with a simple embroidered pattern. He tries them on, his hands immediately enveloped in warmth.

“They’re nice.”

Nico nods. What are the odds that someone would give him mittens on the day that he mentioned he’d lost his previous pair? It can’t be Will, right? Will doesn’t have a reason to be giving Nico little gifts every day, right?

“Nico?” Jason asks. “You okay there?”

“I’m fine,” Nico says, pulling the mittens off. He’s still trying to process the possibilities. He’s not disappointed at the prospect of it being Will, but he doesn’t know what to do with the feelings. What does this mean? Is this just a usual neighborly thing? Did neighbors do that? Was Nico slacking?

“Right, so how does spaghetti sound?”

Nico blinks. He can worry about all of this later. Maybe he’ll even go the adoption event. After all, he does really like Will. He can’t deny the crush. And they have gotten to know each other better.

“Dude. I don’t know what’s going on with you today, but you look both like a kid on Christmas and like you’re trying to do calculus.”

“Shut up,” Nico pouts. “I can do complicated math.”

Jason hums. “Help me with the sauce?”

And that’s something Nico can do. He sets the mittens down, deciding that they would be another day’s problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise no dogs/cats will be harmed and/or die in the making of this fic :) all happy endings :)


	9. plant

Wednesday brings with it a cold front, and Nico’s not too happy about it. While Jason gets to snuggle up on the couch, he has to go to work. At least he’s got his new mittens. They were exceptionally warm, probably from whatever fuzzy lining was on the inside. So at least his hands weren’t cold.

“Nice mittens, di Angelo,” Lou Ellen calls from the counter. Nico glances at her before shaking his head. It couldn’t be Lou Ellen. She had a girlfriend, and she and Nico weren’t exactly friends. All they did was keep each other miserable company while they were at work.

“How’s the morning been so far?”

Lou Ellen shrugs. “The same as always. Whining kids and syrup everywhere. Gods, why do we even attempt to serve actual food when everyone comes for the breakfast?”

Nico has no idea. If it were up to him, he’d change a lot of things about this place. Unfortunately (and honestly relieving), he didn’t own this place. All he did was work in it, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to say that much longer. He takes his place at the hostess stand, slapping on his customer service smile.

The morning goes by in a blur of menus and morning people. At least one person in each party gets something with syrup, and Nico’s so glad that he’s tucked his mittens away with his jacket. He doubts they’d fare well in the wash, and he kind of treasures each little gift he’s received.

“So, anything new in your life?” Lou Ellen asks once the morning rush has abated.

“Not really. The usual.”

Lou Ellen nods. “Me, too. In fact, I think I might even be quitting soon.” She glances around the diner. “But don’t tell anyone. I don’t want them to miss me too much.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “We’ll try not to.”

She laughs, knocking against his shoulder. “So nothing new, really? No boyfriends or wild parties or whatever it is that you’re into these days?”

“Wow. You know me so well,” Nico huffs. “And not really.”

“Well, that’s boring. I feel like there’s gotta be something, you know. Everyone has something exciting happening. Even if they don’t know it yet.”

Nico thinks over his mystery gifts. They’ve been exciting. Nico sighs, deciding to tell Lou Ellen. After all, it couldn’t hurt to have another person on the case. Nico’s not really in any hurry to figure out who it is, but he does like to solve mysteries. It’s partially why he loves history so much. There are so many sides, so many answers. Each new story adds something to the whole picture, answers one question, brings up another.

“Wow. I knew you were keeping something from me,” Lou Ellen teases. “So, no idea who the mystery guy is?”

“Why do you think it’s a guy?”

“Just have a feeling. Besides, if they know you this well, they know you’re not into chicks.” Nico guesses she’s got a point there. “How many gifts have you gotten so far?”

Nico counts on his fingers. “I think eight.”

Lou Ellen nods. “So I guess one question is are they doing this as a twelve-days-of-Christmas thing? Or is it more of a countdown to Christmas?”

“What’s the difference?” Nico asks.

“The twelve days of Christmas has the idea of true love, so it could be someone who really likes you. Also, it means you’d get your answer sooner. If it’s a countdown, it could take longer. And it could be more serious since you’d get more gifts. Or not. It could just be someone doing this for fun. Out of the kindness of their hearts.”

“Right.” That wasn’t much help. “I guess I think it’s the second one. Don’t the twelve days have specific things?”

Lou Ellen shrugs. “I mean, yeah. But it’s the thought. I don’t think you’d actually want a partridge and a pear tree. Let alone twelve of them.”

That was true. He rather liked the gifts he’d gotten so far. “So what should I do?”

“Have you tried to wait for them? Or you could set up a camera in the hallway?” Nico shakes his head. He didn’t want to scare away whoever was doing this. And he’s not sure he definitely wants to know who it is. Lou Ellen nudges him. “Is there someone you want it to be?”

“You know, Piper asked the same question.”

“So that’s a yes. Who is it?”

“I didn’t say yes,” Nico pouts.

“But you basically did. C’mon. I won’t tell them. Besides, I’m invested now.”

Nico shakes his head. He’s not admitting his crush on Will to anyone else. It was bad enough that he thought Will was the one leaving the gifts. He was obviously just projecting. Maybe Jason was leaving the gifts. He probably had plenty of people he knew that Nico had never met who could deliver the gifts unnoticed.

“Well, whoever you’re thinking of is a lucky dude,” Lou Ellen says as someone rings the bell by the register. “And, hey, don’t be scared to make a move. You might get your answer sooner.”

Nico’s still thinking about it when he gets home. Jason was probably at the gym, so he’s got the place for himself. He feels disappointed when he sees the doormat empty of any gifts. It was only around one in the afternoon, though. There was still plenty of time for the gift to appear.

His disappointment melts when he opens the door to find a cactus on the kitchen table. It’s in a bright red pot, matching the small flowers. There were only a couple of them, but they were pretty. There are two notes. One from Jason, explain that he’d brought the plant in because he didn’t want anyone to steal it before Nico came home. Nico smiles, reading the second note. There’s more on it today.

This is a Christmas cactus. I’ve attached care instructions to the pot. Hope you’ve got a better green thumb than I do.

Nico glances at the pot, just now noticing the folded piece of paper. Luckily, this page was typed, so he didn’t have to decipher the handwriting. He gives the plant a little water before setting it on the windowsill. He didn’t have to worry about anyone knocking it over there, and it looked nice against the city. It’d probably look even nicer once Nico and Jason had time to start decorating.

Nico looks at the note again. Still no clues. He puts it in his nightstand along with the other notes, just in case. He does have an idea of who he wants the gift-giver to be, but he’s also just enjoying the surprise each day. Maybe he can give it a few more days before he starts getting more curious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just wanted to say thank you to everyone who is following :)
> 
> (and there will be twenty-five days haha)


	10. book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy december :)

“Gods, when was the last time we were all on this couch?” Piper asks. She’s got her legs thrown across both Jason and Nico’s laps, her head somehow nestled into Jason’s shoulder. It was an impromptu movie night, dubbed so by Piper when she showed up after work, throwing her stuff on the ground before plopping on the couch.

Honestly, Nico related so much to the dramatic entry that he hadn’t even protested.

“Probably at least a month ago,” Jason says, looking like he’s actually trying to do the math.

“Why can’t it just be Christmas yet? We want it. The kids want it.” Piper groans, pulling the blanket over her lap. “And it’s not like we’re doing anything. Just crafts and writing to Santa. I love my job, but sometimes I just want to disappear into the woods and never be heard from again.”

Jason rolls his eyes. “How did I get stuck with the two most dramatic people in this city?”

“Must be your calming and level-headed nature,” Piper mumbles, flipping through the channels. “Nothing good is on. What’re our movie options?”

Nico shrugs. Piper knew them as well as he did since she was over here often enough. “My job was to order dinner. You two figure out what we’re watching,” he says. He picks his book up, paging through until he finds where he’d stopped. Since receiving those postcards, he’d been on a reading binge, his passion for research reanimated. Already, he’d learned so much about one of the postcard paintings.

“What if we watch some Christmas movies?” Jason suggests. “I know we haven’t decorated yet, but it’s time to start getting into the holiday spirit.”

“When are we decorating?” Nico asks.

“This weekend? When do you work?”

“Saturday evening. Sunday morning.”

Jason nods. “Perfect.”

“Sunday might work better. Something to look forward to and all,” Nico says after a few moments. He remembers Will saying that the pet adoption would be happening this weekend, and he’d even received a flyer in his mailbox about it. And it’s not like he’s just going to see Will. There’ll be cute animals there. Clearly a win-win situation.

Jason gives him a look as if trying to figure out why Nico would want to push back decorating, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he turns back to Piper, debating whether they should watch “The Christmas Carol” or “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” first.

Nico tunes them out, reading until there’s a knock on the door. He pushes Piper’s legs off his lap, opening the door.

“Um, hey. I’ve got an order for Jason Grace?”

“Yup.” Nico reaches out for the food.

“Also, this was on your doormat,” the guy adds. Nico nods, letting the deliver guy slip the package between Nico’s arm and side.

“Nico, what’s taking so long?” Piper calls just as Nico shuts the door. “Ooh, did you get another gift? Is it the delivery guy?”

“Gods, I hope not,” Nico pouts. While they don’t get take out a ton, they do probably order it more than they should. Nico does have to admit that he could probably make a list of the delivery people based on facial features. Maybe this is a sign he needs to start cooking more. Or branching out to different take out places.

“Well, whatever, I’m starving.”

They divide up the food, moving back to the couch. It seems as if they’ve decided to watch “Home Alone” instead. Nico’s not too big a fan of the movie, so he focuses on the package. It’s the same wrapping paper, the same handwriting. The package itself is heavier than Nico was expecting.

“We should have asked the delivery guy if he knew anything,” Piper says. She’s currently somehow maneuvering both the remote and a pair of chopsticks. Nico hopes she doesn’t drop anything on the couch or the blanket. He rather likes them how they are, and he’s too comfy to get napkins.

“So what is it?” Jason asks.

Nico rips off the paper, smiling when he sees a book cover. He catches Piper’s grin behind Jason. “He knows you’re a nerd. I love this so much.”

Nico looks at the book. It was the first volume of a series of books on the history of the entire world. No wonder the package had been so heavy. The book is divided into periods and countries, and Nico loves it already. He’s such a nerd, but this makes him so happy. And this was only volume one. Which meant there was at least another book out there like this.

“I really think you should try to find this guy,” Piper says. “He’s clearly wooing you. And you at least owe him a thank you.”

Nico sighs. “I know. But I don’t even know where to start.”

“I think you do,” Piper says, eyes glued to the television.

“I’m not asking Will.”

“At least talk to him then. Maybe drop some hints.”

Nico shrugs. He’s never been one to be subtle. In fact, he often received complaints that he was too blunt. And he’d never minded. But now he kind of liked entertaining the idea that the mystery gift-giver could be Will. He isn’t sure he’s ready for the rejection that would surely come.

Piper peels her eyes away from the screen to look at him. “Fine. I’ll talk to him. I think I might be seeing him Saturday.”

Now both Piper and Jason are looking at him. “Why?”

“There’s a pet adoption, and he asked if I could help out.” He tries to say it as nonchalantly as possible.

“That’s cute,” Piper says. “Bring home a puppy while you’re at it.”

“You don’t even live here,” Jason huffs.

“I might if you guys had a dog.”

“Not for me?”

“You know I love you, baby,” Piper says, kissing his cheek. “But if I’m over here any more often, Nico’s going to move out.”

“Whatever.” Jason looks at Nico. “If you bring home a dog, it lives with Piper.”

Nico snorts. He knows Jason loves dogs, but they really didn’t have time or space or money to adopt one. Especially one from an animal shelter.

“Just bringing home a boyfriend will do,” Piper sings. “But a dog would be a bonus.”

Nico rolls his eyes, opening his book. He’s seen “Home Alone” at least fifty times. He can stand to miss it one time. He doesn’t realize he’s smiling as he turns to a random page and starts reading.


	11. candle

Nico groans when his phone rings. He’s got a later shift today, so he’d been planning on taking full advantage of a lazy morning. Someone seemed determined to ruin that, though. He’s already ignored one call. He probably shouldn’t ignore another. If the way his phone is trying to propel itself from his nightstand is any indication.

“What?”

“Good morning, grumpy,” Piper says.

“What do you want?”

“I forgot some important papers at home, and I really need them. Could you get them and run them by here? Please? Jason’s at some meeting or whatever.”

Nico huffs. “What are they?”

“The report cards?”

“Oh my gods, Piper,” Nico says, but he’s already out of bed. “I’m on it. Give me twenty minutes.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Nico! I love you!”

“Yeah, yeah. Go back to your kiddos.”

Nico sighs, pulling on clothes. He wants to appear semi-decent, not like some weirdo who just feels like walking into a classroom full of fifth graders. Shoving a bagel into his mouth, he takes the stairs two at a time, patting his pockets to make sure he didn’t just leave his keys on the kitchen table.

He gets to Piper’s apartment in record time, rolling his eyes when he sees the stack of report cards on the table. He glances around, seeing if there’s anything else he’ll need to grab. He doesn’t see anything else, Piper’s apartment spotless as ever. Nico suspects part of it’s due to the fact that Piper spends so much time at his and Jason’s place. But she was a pretty organized person when she wanted to be.

Mrs. Grainger, the office lady, just nods when she sees him. He’s done this enough times that she knows his face. She just hands him a handmade visitor pass and ushers him through the doors. Nico clutches the papers, trying to remember Piper’s room number. She’d gotten a new classroom this year, and Nico hopes he’s knocking on the right door.

“Nico, thank you so much,” Piper says, pulling him into the classroom. “Class, this is Nico. You probably remember him, yeah?”

The class erupts into a flurry of excitement, probably glad for the break in lessons. Piper’s sorting through the papers on her desk, counting to make sure that everything was there.

“So how’s your day been?”

Piper shrugs. “The same, you know? We’re all bored out of our minds. Right now, they’re making snowflakes. I think the Mr. Tim’s gonna kill me when he sees all the little scraps of paper.”

“Wow.”

“Yup.” She pauses. “Hey, you know what could be cool?”

Nico doesn’t like where this is headed. “If they just canceled school?”

“Yes, but that’s not what I was thinking. How about if you came in to teach a lesson? I don’t even care what it’s on. History, art, Mythomagic. Whatever.”

“Piper, no. I can’t teach.”

“Well, now’s a great time to learn, then, right? You’ve been wanting to find a new job. Why not just start knocking things off the list? Besides, it’ll shake up your routine a bit, too.”

She does have a point there. And Nico had been thinking of applying for a teaching job. He might as well practice it first before he possibly gets hired.

“Fine. You said on whatever?”

“Yeah, but remember they’re in fifth grade. I don’t need calls from their parents.”

“I’ll keep it PG.”

“Not what I was worried about.”

Nico huffs. “I won’t bore the kiddos. Have faith in me, Pipes.”

Piper pats his back, turning to her class. “I know you guys are tired of listening to me talk all the time, so Nico’s going to be coming back next week to teach you guys,” she announces. This is met with a round of cheers. “And if you’re good, he might even bring you guys cookies!”

“You’d better be helping me with these cookies,” Nico says.

“Oh, I will definitely help you.”

“With more than eating them,” Nico amends.

“Whatever. I’m just so happy that you’re going to come in and teach us.” She kisses his cheek. “Now, go back to bed or whatever.”

Nico rolls his eyes, waving goodbye to the class and Piper. He was nervous about teaching, but he was also kind of excited. He wasn’t sure what his lesson would be on (there was just so much out there), but he’s sure the cookies will help whatever happens. Good or bad.

He’s not really all that tired by the time he gets back. He’d thought of stopping in someplace to pick up an actual breakfast, but he decides against it. Working in a diner kind of curbed the appeal of eating breakfast somewhere that isn’t home. So he just heads straight home, smiling when he sees a package already leaning against his door. Whoever left it must have had an early morning, too.

It’s heavier again today, though not as heavy as the book. Nico sets it carefully on the table before unwrapping it. He’s surprised to see a candle. He wasn’t really too big a fan of candles simply because he could never really find a smell he particularly liked. They were all either too strong or not super pleasant. This one was apple cinnamon.

Promising. Nico gives it a sniff. It smelled okay. He decides to give it a try, lighting the wick. The candle itself was small enough that Nico was pretty sure it wouldn’t become too overwhelming. A faint scent of cinnamon fills the kitchen, and Nico smiles. It smelled like his childhood memories of baking with his mom.

Looking at the clock, Nico sees that he’s still got time before he had to get ready for work. He’d woken up pretty early after all. He knows better than crawling into bed, so he curls up on the couch with his new book, the scent of cinnamon wafting through the apartment. He’ll probably blow it out in an hour or so, but it was nice now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> slow burn picking up the pace right around the corner :) stay tuned!


	12. phone number

“Someone’s excited,” Jason says as Nico speeds around the kitchen. “I can’t believe you talked to him, but you didn’t think to get his number.”

Nico huffs. “I was busy. I had other things on my mind.”

Jason hums. “I bet.”

Nico just rolls his eyes. It’s just after lunch, so Nico’s guessing the adoption’s got to be going by now. He really can’t remember if Will stated a time. Or even a place. Gods, Nico hopes he’s not going to make a fool of himself. He just wants to hang out with cute animals, and if Will’s there, that’s just an added bonus.

Luckily, both Will and the dogs are there when Nico gets to the animal shelter.

“Hey, here for the adoption?” a man who might be named Cecil asks.

“Um, sort of?” Nico says. “Will asked if I could help out?”

Cecil smiles. “Yeah, sure. He’s in the back with the cats right now.”

Nico nods as Cecil turns to a lady who’s just walked in. He’s not really sure where the cats are, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find them, right? After all, this was an adoption day. There would probably be signs. Sure enough, Nico makes his way towards the back. The cats are to the left of the fenced-in area, and Nico almost melts the moment he walks in.

Will’s covered in kittens, all of them meowing and purring as they crawl over him. Will looks up when he hears the door opening.

“Hey, Nico. You got here just in time. I seem to be in need of some assistance.”

Nico laughs. “You seem to be doing just fine.”

“Someone thought it’d be a good idea to try and herd cats. So that’s what I’ve been trying to do for the last ten minutes.”

Nico smiles. Will looks way too adorable with all of the cats crawling on him. One little kitten has even fallen asleep on Will’s leg. “Where are we supposed to move them?”

“Just to their playpen over there,” Will says, pointing. “We don’t really let them outside since they’d be too much of a handful to keep track of.”

“Maybe if you just moved, they’d follow you,” Nico suggests. “They already seem pretty attached to you.”

“That’s because I’ve got catnip in my pocket,” Will huffs. “Rookie mistake, but I forgot it was in these pants.”

Nico shrugs. “Can’t help there.”

“Just help me up,” Will pouts. Nico hums, moving to grab Will’s hand. They’re warm and slightly calloused and just like Nico thought they’d be. He moves on from these thoughts as Will stands up, careful not to let any cats tumble in the process. In the end, he’s holding at least three of them.

“Now, you just move that way. And I’ll try to get the stragglers.”

Will beams. “You’re the best, Nico.”

It only takes them another ten minutes and some bribery to get the cats into the pen next door. Once they’re there, they proceed to climb onto each and every surface, quickly beginning to play with each other. Will sighs, dusting cat hair from his shirt.

“Good. Now, to the dogs.”

Nico follows him. All in all, the dogs are much easier, eagerly running towards the fenced-in pen. Nico scans the group for familiar faces, smiling when he sees Ginger and Felix.

“I’m hoping both will get adopted today,” Will says softly. “They both deserve good homes.”

Nico hums. For the next hour or so, Nico’s probably in heaven. He divides his time between playing with the animals and helping Will with whatever he needs. Honestly, if he’d been offered a position here, he’d have taken it in a heartbeat.

By mid-afternoon, there’s a slight lull in the crowd. At least three dogs and five cats have been adopted, and Nico can tell Will’s sad to see them go. He was always sniffling as he handed each family their new addition, but he smiled each time.

“It never really gets easier, you know?” he says. “It’s like you pour your heart into each one, and then they find their forever family. I wish I could just bring all of them home with me.”

Nico pats Will’s back. “I don’t think our landlord would like that too much.”

Will hums. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. I’m glad Ginger and Felix found families, though. We’re not supposed to have favorites, but I totally do.”

Nico laughs. He wishes he could spend all day here, but sadly, he has to go to work this evening. He thinks about calling out, but he does need the money. Especially since he’s taking off a good bit of time for the holidays.And he’s not sure how soon he’ll be finding another job.

“Wait. Um, I can give you my number,” Will says when Nico mentions he has to leave. “Just in case you want to help out some other time. Or if you wanted to just hang out.” He shrugs, and Nico hopes he doesn’t look too happy.

“Yeah. That works,” Nico says. He pulls out his phone, plugging in Will’s number and sending a text. He hears Will’s phone give a little chirp.

“So, I guess I’ll see you around?” Will asks.

“Oh, wait, yeah. There’s a party my friends and I are having next weekend. You want to come?” Nico blurts in one big rush. Will blinks for a moment before smiling.

“Yeah, sure. I’d love to. If I’m not intruding, I mean.”

Nico shakes his head. “Definitely not. I can text you the details, I guess.” He waves his phone a little, and Will nods. “See you around, Will.”

Nico’s still buzzing with happiness by the time that he gets back to his apartment. He doesn’t even notice that there’s not a package waiting for him. There’s still not one by the time he’s done with his shift, but there’s a text waiting for him on his phone.

_Will: Thanks for helping out today, Nico :)_


	13. ornament

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posting this early because I won't be able to Saturday -- stayed tuned for Monday's post :)

The moment Nico walks into his apartment, he’s suddenly bombarded with the scent of cinnamon and a splash of color that was definitely not there when he’d left. Piper’s singing Christmas carols, and Jason’s attempting to wrestle a Christmas tree from the closet they’d somehow shoved it into last year.

“Some help, please, Piper?” Jason groans.

“Nico’s here!” Piper squeals, raising her mug in salute. “There’s hot cocoa in the kitchen. I just made some.”

There’s a groan from the hallway, and Nico sets his stuff down to help Jason with the tree. It’s a dusty plastic tree because neither of them have time to properly care for an actual tree. The only plant in the apartment is Nico’s cactus, and that required way less attention than an actual tree (and was a gift). After a bit of tugging, they successfully get it standing in the corner of their living room.

“Festive-looking already,” Piper says, adding a health dollop of whipped cream to her mug. Nico dusts himself off, helping himself to the hot chocolate before it gets cold. He stirs it with a candy cane before adding his own helping of whipped cream. The perfect solution to a long day at work.

“So, ready to do this?” Jason asks. He’s dragged out the decorations. They’d accumulated over the years, and Nico loves going through them each holiday season. “First the tree.”

They all gather around the box of ornaments, grabbing their favorites to go on the tree first. There’s no particular rhyme or order to the decorating, so it’s quite obvious who decorated which part of the tree. Piper’s is an odd collection of sparkly and eccentric ornaments while Jason’s much more old-fashioned. Nico’s all hold memories, and he hangs each fondly on their branch.

“What’s going to be at the top this year?” Jason asks.

“What’d we have last year?”

“Wasn’t it that teddy bear?” Nico says. It changes every year (sometimes even by the day) depending on their mood. Someone had gotten a teddy bear during the white elephant gift exchange, and it’d graced the top of their tree all holiday season.

“Well, I vote for the angel this year,” Nico says. “It’s been a while since we’ve had her.”

Jason hums, getting a chair from the kitchen. They all step back to admire their handiwork, no one commenting on how the ornaments clash with each other or that there’s an entire section bare near the back. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that they’re doing this together. It’s the memories.

“What next?” Piper asks.

They pull out the wreaths and the mistletoe and the garlands. There isn’t really much space in their apartment to decorate, but that doesn’t stop them from doing so. Piper strings the garland along the counter while Jason hangs the wreath on their apartment door. Candles go in the windows, though no one will remember to turn them on.

Nico works on hanging up the Christmas towels and placing little decorations here and there. The snowman goes in the bathroom just like the mini Christmas tree goes on the counter. Nico adds a few Christmas pillows to the couch, throwing their reindeer blanket over the couch. Piper’s working on the stockings, hanging them off of the kitchen chairs since they don’t have a fireplace or a mantel.

“I think it’s looking pretty good in here,” Jason says, standing with his hands on his hips as he surveys the room. Nico rolls his eyes. It never takes them long to decorate, but it’s fun. And it definitely helps get them into the Christmas spirit.

Piper goes back to singing Christmas carols while she heats up more milk for hot cocoa. Nico’s probably going to have to make another trip to the store if they keep drinking like this.

“I, um, invited Will to the holiday party,” Nico says.

Jason grins. “That’s cool. We’ll have to add him into the white elephant.”

“Shoot. I forgot to tell him about that.”

“Can you text him?” Nico pauses, nodding. Jason nudges his shoulder, still grinning. Nico hasn’t texted Will back yet other to say that he didn’t mind helping out. “Also, we’re hosting it this year.”

Nico hums. They rotate who hosts the party each year after Annabeth complained that it was always at her place. Now that everyone had their own places, it only seemed fair to rotate.

He pulls out his phone, finding Will’s number. He hesitates, not sure what to type. Jason’s flipping through the channels, probably trying to find a holiday movie to watch while Piper prepares another mug of hot chocolate.

“Going to prepare him for the chaos?” Jason asks, turning back to Nico.

Nico shrugs. “No way to, really.”

Jason laughs. “That’s true.”

_Nico: Hey, Will. Just wanted to let you know that we usually do a white elephant every year at the party. $10 maximum for the gift._

Nico hits send, turning his phone over. Jason smiles at him, finally deciding on “_Rudolph_.” Piper joins them, handing everyone a fresh mug. Nico waits for his whipped cream to melt before he takes a sip. Perfect.

“So any more news on the secret admirer?” Piper asks.

“Nope.”

“Really? Did you get something today?”

Nico shakes his head. There wasn’t anything waiting on his doormat when he’d come back from work. “Nothing yesterday either,” he says softly. He tries not to be disappointed, but he’d gotten used to looking forward to something every day. Even if the gift was silly or small, it was still special.

“Hope no one stole it,” Jason says. “I read a news article about holiday thieves starting earlier this year.”

“Dunno.”

“Maybe it was twelve days of Christmas,” Piper says. “And now you’ve got to hunt down whoever this secret admirer is. They’ve done their work, so now it’s time for you to do yours.”

Nico sighs. “But how? I don’t even know where to start.”

“Do you still have the notes? Maybe there’s a clue we missed.”

Nico retrieves the notes, and Piper makes a list of the gifts he’s gotten so far. Nico shrugs again. The list and the notes haven’t given him any ideas.

“How’re things going with Will?” Piper asks.

“He got his number,” Jason says.

Nico hopes he’s not blushing too hard as Piper beams at him.

“I’m proud of you.” Nico doesn’t mention that technically Will offered and that Nico had no part it in save for accepting. Piper taps the list. “Clearly, whoever it is knows you pretty well. They know what you like and where you live. They’re clearly invested.”

“Right. So no one I know.”

Piper huffs. “Rude.” She looks at the list some more. “Maybe Will would know.”

“Why?”

“He lives across the hall from you. Maybe he’s seen someone leaving gifts for you when he’s going to work or whatever. I mean, if my neighbor kept receiving mysterious gifts, I’d be pretty curious.”

“You are curious,” Nico points out.

“So it’s plausible. You should ask him.”

Nico shakes his head. “How am I even supposed to do that?”

“‘Hey, Will. I’ve been receiving gifts from a secret admirer every day. Would you happen to know who they are?’” Piper looks expectantly at Nico.

“I’m not texting that.”

“You could ask him in person.”

Nico shakes his head again. “Definitely not doing that either.”

“But I wanna know,” Piper whines. “Besides, even if it’s not Will, I think you two would be cute together.”

“You hardly even know him,” Nico says.

“But you talk about him enough. I feel like I’ve met him.”

Nico doesn’t justify that with a response. He doesn’t think he’s talked all that much about Will, but it’s possible. Will does slip into his mind pretty easily. It’s not Nico’s fault he’s so handsome and adorable and kind. And lately, he’s been popping up in Nico’s mind all the time.

“Have you at least thought about inviting him to the party?”

“I already did,” Nico says, trying to play it off as casual. Piper squeals.

“I can’t wait. You’re definitely hanging up that mistletoe.”

Nico rolls his eyes, and he can tell Piper’s about the say something else when Nico’s phone buzzes.

_Will: Sounds good. Can’t wait :) Should I bring anything else?_

Piper looks over his shoulder. “Just his pretty self. Oh! Tell him to wear an ugly Christmas sweater.”

_Nico: Just some food if you want to. Also, we have an ugly sweater contest._

“You’re no fun,” Piper pouts. “Oh, that reminds me. I went shopping, and I found these cute little reindeer socks. They’re in my car.” She jumps up before anyone can respond, heading for the door. Nico fully expects her to keep going, not even bothering to grab a jacket when she stops.

Nico raises his eyebrows when he sees Piper’s expression morph into a grin that looks more mischievous than excited. “Look what I found.” She holds up a package, wrapped in paper that was way too familiar by now. “Guess I was wrong about the twelve.”

Nico doesn’t know he’s relieved until he’s holding the gift in his hands. It’s a small cube this time, and Nico feels a bit of pressure to open it right now.

“Weren’t you getting your socks?”

“I can wait,” Piper says.

“Just open it,” Jason says. “You know she’s too invested in this.”

Nico huffs, but he rips open the paper. A sticky with his name on it falls off the bottom, but Nico’s too busy looking at the ornament. It was one of those typical spherical ornaments. It depicted several cats humorously tangled up in Christmas lights, little splashes of glitter offsetting the colored lights from the rest of the ornament. It’s ridiculously cute and somehow matches the rest of the ornaments on their tree.

“I’m impressed,” Piper says. “Whoever this is, I need them to buy gifts for my family.”

Nico agrees. He never knows what to get people for their birthdays or Christmas, let alone this many gifts at once. He stands up to hang the ornament on the tree, smiling as it hangs among their eclectic selection.

“I’m putting my money on Will,” Piper says.

Nico doesn’t respond, but he’s hoping.


	14. brownies

Nico’s been staring at his computer screen for at least twenty minutes when Jason nudges him.

“You doing okay there?”

Nico groans. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to teach a bunch of fifth graders. What do they even like these days?”

Jason shrugs. “Don’t tell Piper this, but I think they won’t really care what you teach. Just that you’re there. It’s a nice break in their routine. And if they don’t pay attention to you, you can always blame it on winter break being so close.”

Nico nods. That helps a little bit. But it doesn’t give him any inspiration. “But how am I supposed to know if I wanna teach if I don’t even care if they pay attention?”

“Why don’t you teach them Greek mythology? You were pretty into that when we were younger.”

Nico snorts. He’s still pretty into Greek mythology. Mythology, in general. It was partially how he’d gotten so into art and history. He’d always loved looking at those statues, at learning the stories behind them. And from there, he’d branched out.

“Do you think kids still play Mythomagic?” Nico asks.

“Probably. I mean, you still do.”

“I guess that would work.” He types in a few things, finding a gazillion lesson plans on teaching Greek mythology. He isn’t sure how ambitious he wants to be, but he definitely doesn’t want to completely geek-out in front of a classroom full of strangers. Not that he hasn’t done that before. But if he’s going to give teaching a shot, he doesn’t want to embarrass himself on the first try.

By the time Piper arrives with their dinner, Nico’s got a rough outline of a lesson that he thinks could work. Piper looks over it, noodles dangling precariously close to his laptop. Nico doesn’t realize he’s holding his breath until she smiles at him.

“Looks good. Honestly, they’ll love you. At this point in the year, they just wanna see a face that’s not mine.” She shoves the noodles into her mouth, chewing. “You’re gonna do great.”

Nico nods, setting his laptop on the coffee table and grabbing his own food.

“When are we going Christmas shopping?” Piper asks. “I haven’t gotten all of my gifts yet.”

“We could do this weekend?” Jason suggests. “The party isn’t until Christmas Eve, so that gives us plenty of time. And you’re on break soon.”

Piper hums. “A week and a half plus teacher workdays. Not that I’m counting.”

Nico pats her back. He doesn’t quite understand what she deals with every day, but his official holiday doesn’t start until the 20th when he gets two weeks off. (And maybe even an offer for a new job.)

His phone buzzes, and Nico smiles when he sees the message. It’s Will in some ridiculous Christmas sweater, holding one of the dogs from the shelter.

_Will: Think this is good holiday marketing?_

Nico rolls his eyes. It’s undeniable how cute the picture is. Will’s glowing, his freckles on full display as he kisses the dog’s head. The dog (Nico thinks his tag reads Greg) is smiling, too, tongue hanging out as his ears perk up at the camera.

“Ooh, is Will sending you selfies?” Piper asks.

“Apparently, it’s holiday marketing,” Nico says.

“Looks like it works.”

Nico types out a response, going back to his dinner. He and Will don’t text much, but they definitely text. Will mores than Nico, but that doesn’t mean much when Nico hardly texts anyone. Will always sends photos of the animals at the shelter, sunrises, sometimes himself if he’s trying to get Nico’s opinion on a shirt. It’s funny how he’s just gotten Will’s number a few days ago, but it feels like Nico’s had it for years.

For Nico’s part, he sends updates on customers at work and pictures of random things he sees. He’s not sure exactly what kind of relationship they have now that texting has been added in, but he can’t say that it’s a bad change. If anything, it’s more distracting. Now, Nico has to not only think about seeing Will in the hallway but also on his phone. Which could happen at any time. Not that he particularly minds.

“How much would I have to pay you to ask Will if it’s him?” Piper asks. “Or simply on a date?”

“How much are you willing to pay?”

Piper sighs. “Not much in actual monetary forms,” she says. “But with full support and date ideas.”

“Not interested.”

“Please, Nico? You’ve already invited him to the party. What’s one more question?”

“Well, that’s just the thing. Wouldn’t it be awkward if it wasn’t him and then we had to spend an entire evening together?”

“Doesn’t mean that he isn’t interested in you,” Piper points out. “Maybe he’ll just be upset that he didn’t think of it first. And then he’ll ask you out. And you’ll say yes. Problem solved. Awkwardness avoided.”

“Clearly, you’ve never met me.”

“Oh, I’ve definitely met you,” Piper snorts. “Jason help me out here.”

“If he doesn’t want to, he’s just going to have to sulk,” Jason says, shoving a bite of food into his mouth. “But I do agree that if you ask now, it’ll decrease the inevitable pain of watching you mope around and being awkward.”

“Wow. Thanks.”

“No problem,” Piper says. She pulls out her phone. “So, I’ve finished the invite list. Since I want to coordinate food soon. Looks like all the regulars plus Will. Sound good?”

Nico nods. He lets Jason listen as he tunes out Piper’s ideas for the party. They’ve had one every year for a while, so he knows pretty well how it’ll go. They’ll eat food, do the white elephant, eat more food. Fight over what movie to watch. Someone might try and steal someone else’s white elephant gift. And then everyone will slowly go their own ways to celebrate Christmas. (Or, at least, Nico hopes so. He really doesn’t want to deal with a bunch of drunk adults on Christmas morning.)

Nico’s phone buzzes again. He’d asked if Will had any holiday plans since the party was usually on Christmas Eve. Everyone in their friend group had some version of a dysfunctional family, so they usually made it a point to have a good Christmas celebration at least once. But for those who did have families who welcomed them in, they got Christmas Day and whatever followed.

_Will: We usually hang out after Christmas since everyone’s everywhere nowadays. But it’s still nice since Mama pretends like it’s Christmas Day, so we still get to open presents and eat a lot of good food and hang out in our pjs all day. How about you?_

As long as they’ve been neighbors, they’ve never really gotten into anything super personal. The most personal thing they might have discussed was their allergies, and that wasn’t really a big deal. And while Will sometimes talked about his family, Nico hardly ever brought his own up. It wasn’t traumatic; it was mostly just complicated.

His dad was usually pretty busy around the holidays, but he always made a point of trying to celebrate, even if it wasn’t on the actual day. Bianca was overseas and couldn’t make it home very often. Hazel usually came to the Christmas Eve party before going to spend time with her boyfriend and his family. So while Nico celebrated Christmas, he didn’t really have any unified traditions.

_Will: You’re always welcome to come hang out with my family. Mama believes the more the merrier, and I know she’d love you_.

Nico smiles. He wonders what spending Christmas with Will would be like. He bets Will looks adorable in his pjs. He probably had animal-printed pj pants or something cute like that.

“Oh, Nico, did you get your gift today?”

“Yeah, earlier.” He’d found it when his shift was over, waiting propped up against his door like usual.

“What was it? Any clue? I’m invested.”

“I can tell,” Nico huffs, but gets up to get his gift. He’d become protective of them, wanting to keep them nice in the happenstance that whoever was sending them would ask about them. Today’s gift, though, was a little different. He wasn’t so much protective of them as he was maybe just hoarding it for himself.

“Whoa, man. How long have we had those?” Jason asks, perking up when he sees the tray of brownies.

“They’re mine,” Nico says, holding them against his stomach. He’d tried one immediately (clearly, stranger danger wears off after some time), and he hates to admit that these were probably better than his own brownies. They were perfectly fudgy with a crisp edge and a flaky uppermost layer. In other words, Nico had to hide them from himself to make sure he didn’t eat all of them right then and there.

“Can’t we have just one tiny bite?” Piper asks. “We’ll even split a brownie.”

Jason frowns. “I want a whole piece.”

“It’ll be a whole piece. Just half of an original,” Piper says, already grabbing for one. Nico sighs, but he lets her take one. She lets out a sigh as she finishes it off.

“These are amazing, and I need you to hunt this guy down right now so he can make more. Gods, you two would be unbeatable between your cookies and these brownies.”

Nico laughs, but he’s glad to hear that his cookies are still in the running.

“Seriously, we need to invite this dude to our party. I need more of these.”

Nico tightens his grip on the plate. They’re his brownies.

“No note?”

“Just my name again,” Nico says. Piper pouts.

“Would it be illegal to just camp outside your door?”

“No, but our neighbors might be creeped out,” Nico snorts. Piper tries to grab another one, but Nico shakes his head. “Mine.”

He just got them today, but there were only four left.

“Well, if you don’t snatch this guy up, I’ll definitely do it myself.”

“Hey!” Jason pouts.

“I love you, honey, but I love these brownies, too. And if Nico’s going to let a man like this slide away, someone’s gotta make sure he stays.”

Jason rolls his eyes, kissing Piper’s cheek. “I love you, too.”

“You guys are gross, and you’d better stay away from my brownies,” he says lightly as he hides them in the kitchen again.

“I’m just warning you, Nico. A guy like that won’t wait forever.”

Nico sighs. That’s probably true. He glances at his phone. Should he really ask Will?


	15. snow globe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a little bit of Reyna and Will friendship

Nico hadn’t planned on stopping by the animal shelter today, but Will had texted him asking if he could drop by to help. And Nico really hasn’t been able to say no to Will. Not since the day he moved in and asked to borrow a fork and never gave it back. (Not that Nico minds. He’s got plenty of forks.)

“I hope you know that I’m not a licensed doctor,” Nico says when he walks in.

Will beams, shrugging. “Good thing we don’t need you to be one,” he says. “But I forgot that we had a training session today, and Cecil called out sick. Which means he’ll definitely be out for two days at least. And I really can’t run this place by myself.”

“Above the pay grade?”

Will hums. “Not that I don’t love these guys, but I do have to make money. I can’t live on cuddles and kisses forever.”

“And I can?” Nico teases.

“Well, no. But you get the added bonus of hanging out with these cuties all afternoon. And me.” Nico can’t deny that logic. He’s tired from his morning shift at the diner, but it’s worth skipping his nap if he gets to watch Will cuddle with dogs.

“So what am I supposed to be doing?”

Nico listens while Will rattles off a list. It sounds like a lot of chores, but Nico supposes it could be worse. He did say that he’d be willing to help with anything, so he supposes Will’s taking him up on that offer. And if he’s got to scoop cat litter, he’ll do it.

“New guy?” a lady asks, raising her eyebrows at Nico.

“This is Nico. He’s a friend. Or a volunteer, I guess,” Will says, running a hand through his hair. “He’s filling in for Cecil.”

“Reyna,” the lady says. She shakes his head, squeezing firmly. “I come in every now and then to train the dogs and help out.”

“Nice to meet you,” Nico says. Reyna smiles.

“I’ll be in the pen if you guys need anything,” she calls, heading towards the back.

“She can be a little intense sometimes, but she’s super good with the animals,” Will says. “Well, what do you want to do first? The dogs or the cats?”

Nico’s glad for the mask after the third litter box. It’s not as disgusting as he thought it’d be, but he supposes that regular cleaning probably minimizes the disgusting factor somewhat. The cats all sniff curiously at him, watching when they realize what he’s doing. Nico gets momentarily distracted watching Will coo at a fat tabby cat. She’s purring loudly, rubbing her head against Will’s chin as he tries to scoop out her litter box.

“Pumpkin’s pretty affectionate,” Will says. “The only reason people won’t adopt her is that she’s getting old.”

“She’s pretty cute.”

Will grins. “I know. I’d bring them all home if I knew Olive wouldn’t be immediately jealous. She pouts every time I get home from here until I feed her.”

Nico smiles. “She wants to make sure your priorities are secure.”

“Oh, they definitely are. She’s the love of my life.”

Nico snorts. “No girlfriend?”

“Or boyfriend,” Will says. “I’m a single man. You?”

“Yup. Though I don’t have a cat either.”

“That’s a tragedy, honestly,” Will says, finally finishing with Pumpkin’s litter box. He kisses her head, moving to the last one. “If you ever need any cuddles, my apartment is open. Olive is a master cuddler, and I’m not too bad myself.”

Nico hopes he’s not blushing too much. He doesn’t want to admit how much he’d take advantage of that offer.

“I might get a cat. If Jason ever gets his life together and moves in with Piper. But there’s definitely no room with him still there.” Nico loves living with Jason, but he does think that after years of dating, Jason could minimize his gas emissions and just move in with Piper. They pretty much already live together at his and Nico’s place. So why couldn’t they just shift over to Piper’s?

“Your roommate?” Nico nods. “Reyna and I lived together for a year, actually,” Will says, gesturing towards the back of the building. “But then she decided to take a gap year and travel abroad.”

“She didn’t want to move back in with you?”

Will shrugs. “My apartment is pretty small, and Reyna kind of prefers to be able to pack up and go as she pleases. Though I’m glad she decided to hang out with me while she’s still here.”

“Yeah, having friends is nice. Though I might have too many.”

Will shakes his head. “Are those the ones that are having the Christmas party?”

“Yup. And I happen to be hosting this year, so it’s good you’re coming so I know you won’t file a noise complaint.”

Will laughs. “I doubt I’d do that anyway. I can always respect a good party. Even if it’s not mine. Thanks for inviting me, though.”

They finish with the cat litter, Will stopping by to give them all kisses again. Then they head outside to clean the pen.

Reyna’s in a smaller pen, a dog paying close attention to the treat in her hand.

“Ever trained a dog?” she asks. Nico shakes his head. He’s never had a dog to train. “You and Will friends?”

“We’re neighbors,” Nico says. “But, yeah.” He thinks between the conversations and the texting that he and Will have developed a friendship. He’d like to think so, at least.

“He’s a good guy,” Reyna says. She turns her attention back to the dog for a moment, calling a command that has the dog spinning in a circle. She gives the dog a treat, patting his head. “Treat him right, or we’ll have to talk,” she adds.

Nico nods slowly. Reyna’s face remains unreadable for a few more seconds before she breaks into a small smile. “Seriously, though, I think you two are good together.”

Nico glances across the yard to where Will’s cleaned up more than his fair share. Nico hasn’t done any of his job since starting his conversation with Reyna. “Um, thanks.”

By the time Will makes it over to them, Reyna’s finished her training, and Nico’s still processing what she’s said. It seemed that she and Will knew each other pretty well. But had she just given him the shove talk? Over their friendship?

“Hey, thanks for helping out,” Will says. Nico nods. He doesn’t think that it was too much work, but he’s sure that Will’s done things in between waiting for Nico to finish his small list of chores. “Hope I didn’t completely bore you.”

Nico shakes his head. “No, this was fun. I’m still happy to help when I can.”

Reyna gives him another handshake before he leaves, but Will pulls him into a hug. His cheeks are pink as they pull apart, but Nico just assumes it’s from the cold. Winter’s almost officially here, and he knows that Will hates the cold.

“See you around, Nico,” Will calls. “Stay safe!”

Reyna gives him a curt wave, a smile on her face. He’s not sure what to think about it, and he’s still thinking about it as he almost trips over his gift for the day.

Smiling, he unwraps it to find a miniature snow globe, a snowy New York City inside. Nico finds a place on the mantel for it, nestled between a poinsettia and some ivy.

_Will: Thanks for volunteering today. The animals and I appreciated your company!_


	16. cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> teaching time!

Nico’s more than a little nervous, but at least the students are paying attention. He was explaining the basic (read: dysfunctional) family tree of the Greek gods, flipping through his slides at what he hoped was a decent pace. He’d written down everything that he wanted to talk about, though it didn’t really matter since all the information’s been in his head since he was ten.

Some of the kids are even taking notes, and Nico can’t help but feel a little proud of himself. He’s really doing it. He’s teaching.

“Okay, so instead of having a test on this and making you spit all of this back at me,” Nico says, “we’re going to play a game.”

This gets a cheer from the students, and Piper starts grouping the students together. Nico’s asked for Piper’s help with this since he doesn’t want to turn the class into a riot if he pairs students together who shouldn’t be. There’s an excited chatter as Nico passed out the Mythomagic cards. He’s glad that he’d managed to find his old decks. The beginner piles weren’t too complex or costly, so he’s able to have enough for each group to at least experience Mythomagic. Each stack has random specialty cards, too, since he doesn’t have enough to go around.

“I’ve seen this game before!” one student calls out.

“My cousin plays this game. He’s a nerd.”

“Well, I’m very much a nerd,” Nico says. “But has anyone actually played this game before?” Only two students raise their hand, so Nico pulls up his instructional slides.

“This is the basics of the game and how to read the cards,” Nico says. “The name is at the top. And then the attacks and special moves are at the bottom. While you don’t really have to know who the characters are, it does help when considering attacks.”

He goes through the basic cards, deciding to go through a practice round with a group nearby.

“So, Sarah just played her Poseidon card,” Nico says. “What are some good choices for Benji? He wants to either defend or counterattack, remember.”

Nico calls on a few students. He knows what card he’d play, though he doesn’t want to immediately end the game. So he lets Benji decide after hearing his classmate’s responses. In the end, Benji defends his territory instead of attacking Poseidon. It’s not a brilliant move, but it’ll keep him in the game a while longer.

He instructs everyone to start playing within their smaller groups, walking around when they have questions. He catches Piper’s gaze across the room, making his way towards her.

“This was a good idea,” she says. “I’m glad I thought of it.” She’s sipping her tea. During his lesson, she’d been discreetly painting her nails. They’re shiny blue now.

“You’re welcome,” Nico says, rolling his eyes. “This went a lot better than I thought it would.”

Piper pats his shoulder. “They’re not too bad when they’re listening,” she says. “But I think you’d be a good teacher. You’re already passionate about your subjects, and I know you like kids more than you let on.”

Nico pouts. “They’re just so messy and loud,” he huffs.

“Well, there are different age ranges. Not all are messy and loud. Some are just messy.”

Nico rolls his eyes. All in all, his first day of teaching hasn’t gone too badly. “I haven’t really gotten any offers yet,” Nico says. It’s the holiday season, so he’s not sure how on top everyone is for hiring new people, especially since he won’t be starting until the new year anyway. But he’d like to at least know what he’s being considered for.

“I’m sure they’re still firing the guys who aren’t working their rightful holiday hours,” Piper says. Nico hums. If only that were the case. Nico knows his resume is a little old, but he’s trying to work on that. He supposes he can add volunteering at an animal shelter now.

“Any news on Will?” Piper asks.

“Like what? I already told you everything.”

Piper shrugs. “I was just wondering.” She pokes his cheek.

“Hey. Not in front of the kids.”

It’s Piper’s turn to roll her eyes. “They’re so into their game that they won’t move until the bell rings.”

Nico smiles, looking at the classroom. There were a couple of heated debates, some of the other groups pausing their play to get into it. Nico’s kind of proud that he did this.

“Thank you,” Nico whispers. “I’m glad I did this.”

Piper pulls Nico into a hug. “Now, you’d better go before the bell rings. It’ll be chaos. I’ll bring your cards over later.”

Nico remembers very clearly how chaotic the end of the school day is. He makes his way to his car quickly, hurrying home.

“Oh, hey,” Will says as Nico turns the corner.

“Hey, Will. You’re back early.”

Will nods. “Yeah, Reyna sent me home. Something about human interaction and all that.”

Nico laughs. “Too much quality time with the animals?”

“Guess so.” Nico swallows, wondering if this was his opening. “Um, if you aren’t doing anything tomorrow, we could hang out.”

“Oh, yeah. Sounds good. I can cook if you wanted.”

Will smiles. “Works for me. Dinner, then?”

Nico nods, squeezing his hands together so he doesn’t do something embarrassing like jump up and down. He turns towards his door, seeing a familiar package. “Have you, um, noticed these?”

Will scratches his neck, shrugging. “A couple of times. Got a lot of presents this year?”

Nico shrugs. “Just a secret admirer or something. At least, that’s what Piper thinks. Who knows.” He bends down, picking it up. He isn’t sure if he should open it now with Will standing there or wait until he gets inside.

“What do you think it is?” Will asks.

“I can open it,” Nico says. He pulls back the paper. “I think— Mythomagic cards.”

Will leans over. “That’s that game with the Greek gods and whatnot, right?”

“Yeah, I used to play as a kid. But I kind of still collect the cards. Wow.” He flips through them. There are only two duplicates, but the rest Nico has been eyeing for a while. All in all, he’s got eight new cards.

“Those are cool. I like the art.”

“The specialty cards have cool art,” Nico says. “You know how to play?”

Will shrugs. “Not too well. One of my brothers got into it a bit, but I always lost.”

“I could teach you sometime.”

“Maybe after dinner?”

Nico smiles. “Sounds good. See you then.”

They wave goodbye, disappearing into their respective apartments. Nico looks at the cards, thinking over his day. He smiles.


	17. company

Nico’s not sure what gives him the courage to knock on Will’s door, his arms full of groceries for tonight’s dinner. This is a thing that neighbors do, right? Will just needed some human-to-human interaction, and Nico didn’t have any plans since Jason and Piper declared tonight their date night.

Will answers the door, Olive on his heels. She meows at him, and Will scoops her up. “Come in. The kitchen’s all ready for cooking.”

Nico nods, stepping in. Will’s apartment wasn’t much different from Nico’s, just slightly reversed since it was on the other side the hall. Nico sets his stuff down.

“I was thinking of making a simple spaghetti sauce,” Nico says. He doesn’t want to be too fancy, unsure what this was. It wasn’t like it was a date, or he didn’t think it was. Not that he’d mind if it were. But he’s pretty sure this is just two guys hanging out and having dinner. “I also brought the cards.”

Will smiles. “Perfect.” He pauses. “Um, I can do something. It feels weird to have you doing everything. When I’m the one who invited you over.”

Nico shrugs. “I don’t mind. I love cooking. And Mythomagic.”

“Well, let me do something, please?”

Nico rolls his eyes, handing Will the package of ground beef. “You know how to cook this, yeah?”

Will nods. “I know how to cook. I just don’t do it too often.”

“What do you eat, then?”

Will shrugs. “Um, stir fry and pasta and stuff like that. Or sandwiches and soup. I mean, I can cook. But it’s kind of lonely to cook for one.” At this, Olive lets out a loud meow. Will bends down to pat her head. “I know, but you have your own meals.”

Will washes his hands, setting a pan on the stove. Nico gets to chopping onions. It’s kind of nice having someone to cook with. Not that Jason didn’t help, but he was usually busy with work or with Piper. So they took turns making food. But at least Nico did have someone to cook for. Jason and Piper were enthusiastic consumers of his dishes.

“So any news on the job prospects?” Will asks. “Or is that not a conversation topic?”

Nico hums. “Not much news honestly. Everyone’s probably busy managing who they do have to worry about adding someone new.” He shrugs. “But it’s cool. At least the diner’s hours are flexible, so I can have my holiday. What do you guys do with the animals over the holidays?”

“We’re open all year long,” Will says. “Kind of hard to just drop by to feed them and not stay to attend to their other needs. So I’ll be working. Especially since our staff is pretty small. I’m just glad that Reyna’s staying at least until the new year so we’ll have more hands on deck.”

Nico watches Will poke at the ground beef. It’s not quite sizzling yet, but Nico’s got the rest of the sauce to worry about. They continue to talk about not much at all, just trading questions back and forth while they cook. It’s domestic and nice, and Nico can imagine this being the majority of his week nights. It doesn’t sound so bad.

They’re interrupted with a loud meow and Olive jumping up on the counter. Will’s rinsing off dishes to load the dishwasher.

“Hey, no standing on the counter, remember?” Will says. He points to the ground as Olive ignores him. She rubs her head against his hand, meowing again. “Yeah, yeah, it’s dinnertime. I know. But you’re not allowed on the counter.”

Seeming to pout, Olive hops down, waiting expectantly by her food bowl.

“Sorry about that,” Will says. “She’s kind of bossy.” He goes to the fridge, getting a can of cat food. Olive looks quite pleased as Will dishes it out, his nose wrinkling at the smell. “There you go, princess. Eat up because you’re not getting any spaghetti.”

Nico snorts. “She’s cute.”

“You’ve never seen her kick me out of my own bed then,” Will says. “She’s such a blanket hog.”

Nico catches the fond smile on Will’s face as he washes out the cat food tin, setting it in the recycling bin. Everything’s ready for the sauce. It just needs to cook a little longer.

“The sauce tastes better a few days after it’s made. When everything’s really melded together,” Nico says. “But I think it tastes pretty good freshly made, too.”

“Smells good,” Will says. He’s leaning against the counter now, watching Nico. He can hear the soft sounds of Olive licking her bowl clean. When she’s done, she moves to curl up on the couch, licking her paws.

Nico plates the food when the sauce is done, feeling a little more than proud when Will’s expression melts into bliss as he takes his first bite. They don’t talk for a few minutes, Nico just letting Will enjoy the food, and Nico just enjoying watching Will.

“I take it you like spaghetti?” Nico asks.

“I love spaghetti. Honestly, I love any food. Especially if I don’t have to make it,” Will says. “But this is very amazing.”

Nico smiles. It doesn’t take them long to load up their plates again. And then Will is insisting on doing the dishes since Nico made dinner. But Nico feels awkward just standing in the kitchen watching Will wash pans that he got dirty.

“I guess you could dry,” Will says. “Or you’re more than welcome to cuddle with Olive. She loves attention. And I do have a dishwasher.” At this, Olive perks up her head, tail swishing slowly as she looks at them.

Nico pretends to debate the options before moving over to Olive. She hops into his lap immediately, purring when Nico starts scratching her head. “You’re a good kitty, aren’t you?” Nico coos. Olive seems to purr louder, rubbing her head against Nico’s chest as he moves to stroke her chin. She seems to melt in his lap, becoming a purring puddle of fur. Nico rolls his eyes.

“She definitely likes you,” Will says, smiling at them. Nico thinks he could get used to this. A fully belly and Will and a lap full of cat. Will joins them when he’s done with the dishes.

“So no pressure or anything, but I’d love to learn how to beat people at Mythomagic,” he says. “Or we could watch a movie. I don’t think Olive will be too happy if I disturb this cuddling session.”

Nico shrugs. He kind of wants to watch a movie, but he’s not sure he’d be able to control himself. He might end up cuddling more than a cat, and he’s not sure if that’s allowed. “Let’s play Mythomagic.”

Olive seems unhappy with the change of activities, moving from Nico’s lap to curling up by Will’s shoulder. “You’re not going to cheat, are you?” Will asks her. “No peeking at my cards, alright?” She doesn’t respond, simply reaching out to bat at his cards.

Nico runs through a brief explanation of the game, explaining how to read the cards. Will gets an adorable little wrinkle that Nico associates with his thinking face. They play a couple of rounds, Nico beating Will easily before Will starts catching on.

“Wait. I think I’ve got you this time!” Will says.

Nico rolls his eyes, blocking Will’s attack. “That’s such a Disney villain thing to say.”

“Well, I have watched a lot of Disney movies,” Will says. “I think I’d make a good villain.”

“I’d think more a prince.”

“Yeah?”

“Or a princess.”

Will laughs. “I think you’d make a good prince. Or a knight.” He leans back to kiss Olive’s head. “And you could be a queen, beautiful.”

“Wow. Your cat gets a better title than I do?” Nico asks.

“Well, she’s adorable and clearly majestic,” Will says, still attempting to beat Nico.

“And I’m not?”

“No, you’re very cute, too,” Will says without thought. Nico can see the moment it hits him, his cheeks coloring. Nico’s sure his match. “But while Olive is very much a strong and independent cat, she chooses to rely on me to do her bidding. Which seems like a very queenly thing to do.”

Will reaches back to scratch Olive’s chin, nudging their noses together. It’s all very cute, and Nico’s forgotten that he’s supposed to be beating Will at Mythomagic.

“Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Will says, turning his attention back to Nico. He glances at his cards, his face brightening. “Ha! Did I win?”

Nico rolls his eyes. “Only because you distracted me.”

“A win is a win,” Will sings. “Fair and square.”

“Nothing fair about it,” Nico snorts. “You owe me a rematch.”

Nico doesn’t know how long he spends at Will’s until they’re both yawning. He’s had a full day, and he’s sure Will has, too. Olive’s fallen asleep across the back of the couch, and Nico kind of regrets living across the hall. If he lived further away, maybe he’d have an excuse to spend the night.

“Sadly, I’ve got work tomorrow,” Nico says when Will yawns for the twentieth time that round. Will glances at the clock.

“It’s past my bedtime. Well, Olive’s bedtime.”

“Looks like she’s put herself to bed,” Nico says. Will looks at his cat, smiling.

“She does that. Strong and independent and all. But she’ll cry like a baby if she realizes I’ve gone to bed without her.”

Nico waves to Will, walking towards the door. He’s really hoping Will’ll ask him to stay over, though there’s no point. And he does have to work the early shift tomorrow. So he’d be leaving in seven hours anyway. Will scoops up Olive, giving Nico a smile.

“Night, Nico. Thanks for hanging out with me tonight.”

It’s not until Nico’s in bed that he realizes that there wasn’t a present today. Could the secret admirer really be Will?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> does this count as a date?


	18. blanket

“Someone’s distracted today,” Lou Ellen says as she passes by the counter. Nico shrugs. He can’t stop thinking about why Will would be sending him gifts every day. Did Will really like him like that? Or was it just a friendly neighborly thing? Or maybe it was because they were both alone, Nico being single and Will being away from his family?

“Just bored. Can’t wait for my days off.”

“Right. Because then you’ll just sit around and overthink some more.”

Nico huffs. “You make me sound like an edge lord or something.”

Lou Ellen snorts. “If anything, you look like a moody teenager going through their first crush.”

Nico wrinkles his nose. He remembers his first crush, and that had definitely been a crisis. It’s a lot to like the guy who is both your cousin and your best friend and also a guy. And to realize that he did have feelings. And that he might have to actually deal with them. Good thing Annabeth came along and took Percy off the market before things got too awkward.“I’m twenty-three. That hardly counts as a moody teenager.”

“I’m just saying. You’ve been staring that coffee pot down pretty hard. And I’m not sure it’s done anything to you.”

Nico sighs. He hasn’t been able to get Will out of his head all morning. He’d even had a vague dream last night where he’d caught Will sneaking in through his window to deliver a bag full of chocolate and stolen art pieces. Even his dreams couldn’t make sense of it.

“I think I might have figured out who’s been sending me gifts,” Nico says after a moment. Lou Ellen lights up, holding up a finger as she dashes over to the table in the corner to refill their drinks.

“Okay, tell me all.”

“Well, we hung out last night, and there wasn’t a gift. And it’s not a lot to go on, but I kind of really want it to be him.”

Lou Ellen beams. “Aw. I’m so proud of you, Nico.” She pauses. “So, what’re you going to do? Surprise him with a gift of your own? Kiss him? Ask him out?”

Nico rolls his eyes. “You are way too invested in my life.”

She shrugs. “I’m in a happy relationship, and I wanna share the love. Just not specifically my love. Because she’s mine. But answers?”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to do something and it not be him.”

“But then you’d still get together. And he wouldn’t have to know it’s because someone else has been sending you gifts.”

“He’s at least noticed the gifts. He knows that I’ve got some sort of secret admirer.”

“You’re overthinking this. You like him. He most likely likes you. Go for it. He’s done his part. It’s time for you to do yours.”

“But it’s scary,” Nico whines. “And what if he really doesn’t like me in that way and is just being friendly because I’m lame and boring and single. And then he won’t invite me over anymore. And I can’t snuggle with his cat anymore.”

Lou Ellen snaps her fingers. “I think you just need to go for it. Now or never, right? And worst-case scenario is that he’ll just let you down easily. From what you’ve said, he sounds really nice and kind. I doubt he’d just cut you off like that. Especially since he’s been the one reaching out.”

Nico supposes that’s true. He hasn’t invited Will over to do anything. But Will’s asked him to come volunteer and to have dinner together. Will has made all of the moves.

“I’ve invited him to our Christmas party. Maybe I can do something then?”

Lou Ellen smiles. “Perfect. Romantic and classy. So what’re you going to do?”

Nico shrugs again. “I have no idea.” He wracks his brain for something Will might like. Why hasn’t he paid attention to what Will likes? He’s got a small list of things, mostly stuff like food and cats and warm weather. But that’s not helpful.

“Well, maybe something simple. Like a handmade ornament or maybe even a card? It doesn’t have to be complicated.”

Nico makes a face. “But I don’t want it to be too much.”

“He’s already given you at least fifteen gifts. I don’t think an ornament or a letter will be too much.”

That does make sense. Nico sighs. “Fine. I’ll think about it. Thanks, Lou Ellen.”

“No problem. Someone’s got to talk some sense into you.”

“Usually, Piper does, but she’s been too busy grading.”

Lou Ellen hums. Now Nico’s mind is preoccupied with thinking of the perfect gift for Will while he wiles away the rest of his shift. Lou Ellen winks as she takes her leave, blowing Nico a kiss.

“Just go for it!”

Nico takes a detour home, looking into the windows of the stores he passes, hoping for some inspiration. What could he give Will that expresses how much Will means to him? What does Will mean to him? It was clear Will was more than a kind and pretty face that lived next door. He was kind and sweet and thoughtful. They weren’t super close, but they were getting there. And that’s what dating was for. If Nico ever works up the courage to ask Will out.

“Hey, man,” Jason says. “Another secret admirer gift. On the table.” Nico looks at the lumpy rectangle on the table. No note beyond his name. He rips away the paper, staring a little bit at the blanket beneath. It’s a soft blue with snowflakes decorating it. The fabric itself is incredibly soft, and Nico just wants to bury his face in it.

Actually, he wants to take a nap. He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night.

Nico looks at his phone, deciding to take a leap.

_Nico: Thank you._

He’s still thinking of Will as he crawls into bed, nestled between his blanket and dinosaur plushie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're getting so close, peeps :)


	19. snowman

_For what?_ is what Nico’s been looking at for the past twenty minutes. It must have come when he was sleeping last night, but he hadn’t heard it buzz. And now his mind was short-circuiting a bit. It was a little late to be thanking Will for having him over, and he’d really meant for the blanket. But what if it weren’t really Will?

Nico doesn’t know how many messages he’s typed out before just deleting them all.

“What’s got you all frowny?” Jason asks. Nico huffs, handing his phone to Jason. “I don’t get it.”

“I sent him a thank you for the blanket, but he didn’t realize that. So I don’t know how to respond.”

“Why don’t you just say that it was for the blanket then?”

“Because what if it’s not really him? What if it’s someone else?”

“Then you can cross him off the list of potential secret admirers,” Jason says. Nico pouts. Jason was no help. He and Piper were in a happy relationship, and if Nico remembers correctly, Piper had asked Jason out. So Jason didn’t have to worry about this. If only Will would be Piper in this situation. Or maybe he was being Piper by giving Nico all of these gifts.

_Nico: For having me over the other night_.

He’s an absolute chicken, but Nico doesn’t want to ruin this. He’s gotten so used to getting gifts and being excited and surprised. And he’s really enjoyed hanging out with Will. He doesn’t want to ruin either one of them with the chance that they could possibly be connected (or disconnected). He’ll just wait to make his move on Christmas Eve, completely disconnected from the gifts in case it isn’t Will.

_Will: I like hanging out with you :) and Olive enjoyed the extra attention_

Nico blushes. He really wants to just march over there and ask Will out, but he can’t bring himself to get off the couch.

“You didn’t do it, did you?” Jason asks.

“Nope.”

Jason sighs. “Well, don’t forget we’re going Christmas shopping tomorrow, so maybe you can get him a gift. Even if you want to pretend that you two are just friends.”

“We are just friends,” Nico says. “Even if maybe I like him more than that.”

“And even if he likes you more than that, too?”

“Yes,” Nico huffs.

Jason sighs again, this time rolling his eyes to be more dramatic. “How’s the job search coming?”

“Still going on.” He’s opened up an application for teaching history at the local high school, but he hasn’t actually completed it. And he’s also thought about just applying to the animal shelter until he can figure out what he wants to do with himself. It’d be a change of scenery from the diner, at least. And cute animals always won over annoyed customers. “No rejections yet, though.”

“That could be a good sign. Maybe they’re actually reading your resume instead of just trashing it."

Nico hums. He fixes himself breakfast, his phone buzzing. Jason picks it up, grinning. Nico fills up his mug before grabbing his phone. Will’s sent a picture of him posing with some of the dogs, all in Christmas sweaters.

_Nico: Very cute. More promotional ads?_

_Will: Just a good morning to one of my favorite people_

Nico’s definitely not sure how to respond to that, so he just sends back a smiley face. Today’s probably going to be a pretty chill day. He’s got an later shift, but it’s his last one before he’s on holiday break. And maybe his last one if he gets another job soon. It’s so tempting to quit right now, but he needs some source of income. After all, he’s an adult in everything but possibly his maturity level.

_Will: It’s snowing outside_

Nico looks outside to see that it is, indeed. It’s not really a big deal to him. It snows all the time here, and the weather’s been pretty cold for weeks now. But Will does seem like the person who would get excited about snow. He probably makes snowmen and snow angels and has snowball fights with his siblings.

_Nico: Don’t freeze._

He laughs when he receives a picture of Will buried under at least three cats.

_Will: No worries — they won’t let me :) gonna make a snowman?_

_Nico: Too cold and the couch is so warm and comfy_

He sends a picture of his mug of coffee and a corner of his new blanket, wondering if Will’ll say something about it.

_Will: Does look comfy, but snowmen are essential to snowy days!_

_Nico: I’ll let you fill that quota_

They text on and off as Will goes about his duties. Will sends pictures of the dogs and Reyna and Cecil. Everything looks so cozy and full of holiday spirit there. While Nico’s apartment is decorated, he does feel like it’s lacking something. Maybe it’s just because Jason’s been on the phone with Piper, keeping her company while she finishes grading and complaining about last-minute teacher workshops. And Nico’s just sitting here watching everyone else have fun.

Well, he’ll have fun when he’s off. He got to bake at least four dozen cookies and get Christmas presents for people and wrap them.

He’s leaving for work when a bright yellow sticky note catches his attention. It’s stuck to his door rather than to a package, and Nico feels a little sad until he reads it.

_Look out your window (p.s. hope this isn’t too creepy)_

Nico’s a little embarrassed with how fast he runs to his window, peering over his cactus to see two snowmen below. It’s got to be a coincidence. After all, Will had said that snowmen were essential to snow days, so it’s not that weird that his secret admirer would gift him two snowmen, right?

They’re traditional-looking with carrot noses and buttons and lumpy hats. Nico swears that they’re holding hands, and he doesn’t give himself time to wonder what that means. He’s going to be late for work if he keeps staring at them, so he heads down the stairs, passing them again.

From ground-level, they’re definitely holding hands. Nico’s pretty sure the shorter one is him, though he’s not sure where he’s getting that from. He takes a picture, sending it to Will.

_Nico: Looks like someone agrees with you_

He doesn’t have time to wait for a response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> daily updates through Christmas :) thanks for sticking with me, all :) I've really enjoyed writing this :)


	20. sweater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I, too, struggle with figuring out what to gift everyone haha

Christmas shopping has always been a bit of a chaotic adventure— especially when Piper’s involved. It’s her first day of a real break, and she’s full of energy and holiday spirit. She’d shown up at their apartment, dressed in an ugly Christmas sweater, already ready to go. It’d taken some time for Nico and Jason to be even close to ready, but somehow, they’d made it to the stores.

“So, how should we do this?” Jason asks.

“Well, we all have to get white elephant gifts. And I still have to get you guys a gift,” Piper says. “But I don’t want you to see what I’m getting.”

“You could do that when we’re not here,” Nico says. He’s got a cup of coffee in his hands, sipping on it while he waits for someone to tell him what’s happening. He’s never been one for organizing the holiday activities, choosing to go with the flow more.

“How about we split up, meet back for lunch, and then go from there?” Piper asks.

Nico nods. He can do that. He’s mostly got an idea of what he wants to get everyone. He decides to just go store by store, sure he’ll find what he’s looking for when he sees it. It’s completely flawed logic, but it hasn’t failed him yet. Will’s texting him again, and Nico smiles.

Unfortunately, Will hadn’t replied to the snowmen with anything incriminating, so Nico still wasn’t sure if he should keep thinking it’s Will or move on. All signs are pointing to Will, but Nico would feel awful if it were someone else and he hadn’t even considered them.

He’s surprised when Will calls him part of the way through his shopping.

“What’s up?” Nico asks.

“Not much. Just watching Reyna train Theodore. He’s cute, but he’s definitely more into eating the treats than thinking of them as rewards.” Will laughs, and Nico thinks about stealing Jason’s car to go hang out at the animal shelter. “You?”

“Christmas shopping. Though I haven’t actually bought anything yet.”

“You don’t know what you’re getting?”

“Nope. Well, I have ideas. But nothing, really.”

Will hums. “I always have everything planned out in advance. But I don’t usually get anything until days before. Downside of having nosy siblings and all.”

Nico smiles, looking over a selection of cookware. It’s stuff he’d like for himself, but he’s not sure any of his friends would really want it. “How many do you have again? I can’t imagine having more than two.”

“I think five,” Will says. “I only acknowledge five at least.”

“Gods. I’d go crazy.”

Will laughs. “It’s not too bad. Unless you really need to use the bathroom, and there’s a line. Or you’re trying to go on a date, and they just happen to be wherever you go.”

“Guess I got lucky with the one sister.” Nico loves Hazel, and she’s definitely not like those stereotypical sisters who make their brother’s lives miserable. Of course, part of that could be that they never grew up together. They’d always had a healthy distance from each other whenever they needed it.

“So, do you need help with ideas? I’ve been told that I’m pretty good. Some might even call me Santa.”

“Interesting,” Nico says. “But, yeah, I could use some help.”

He goes through his list of friends, telling Will what he’d been thinking and then asking for advice. They decide on a book for Annabeth, tickets to a performance for Piper, a reading lamp for Jason. None of them sound too impressive, but Nico hopes that everyone will like their gifts. After all, he’s getting pretty tired of walking in on Jason reading in the dark. Especially since Jason refuses to admit that it’s bad for his eyes.

“What about concert tickets for Hazel?” Will suggests. “You said that she really likes that one band, and they’re playing in a couple of months nearby.”

“You’re brilliant. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that,” Nico pouts.

“You’re probably overthinking. I haven’t met your friends, so I’m just going based off what you’re telling me.” He pauses. “And maybe Percy would like those bracelets? My sister was telling me about them. They’re made from recycled plastic that’s been taken from the sea, and donations go with the purchase of them to wildlife rescues and whatnot.”

Nico smiles. That was perfect. Way better than the fish mug he’d gotten him last year.

“So, Hazel, Jason, Piper, Annabeth, Percy. Anyone else?” Will asks.

“My dad, probably,” Nico says, sighing. “I don’t know what to do for him at all. I usually just get him a fancy pen.”

“What’s he like?”

“Business-minded. Practical.” Nico shrugs. “He used to like operas for some reason. And gardening. But he doesn’t really have room for that anymore in his apartment.”

“Does he still garden?” Will asks.

“I don’t know.”

“If he wants to still garden, they’ve got those small garden things. Like they fit on countertops or whatever. I think you can grow bigger stuff like tomatoes or flowers, but they’re mostly for herbs. Maybe he’d like something like that?”

“Maybe. It’s just hard because he can get whatever he wants when he wants.”

“Does he, though?”

Nico shrugs. “I don’t know. We haven’t really talked in a while.”

Will doesn’t answer for a few moments, and Nico can hear excited barking in the background. He’d almost forgotten that he’s wandering around a mall while Will’s at the animal shelter. It’d kind of felt like Will was right there with him, aside from not being able to see him.

“Maybe you could visit him as your gift. I’m sure he’d love to see you.”

“We’ve just been really busy. But I’ll think about it. Thanks, Will.”

“I’m always here to help.” There’s muffled talking on the other end, and then Will’s back. “I’ve gotta go. Someone just came in to adopt! Send you pictures later! Good luck with shopping.”

It’s not until Will’s hung up that Nico realizes that everyone’s checked off but Will. And Nico has no idea what to get him. He should have pretended to be getting a gift for someone else and gotten ideas about what Will liked. Nico doesn’t want to do the clichéd thing and just get Will something dog-themed because he worked at an animal shelter.

“Made any progress?” Jason asks when they meet up for lunch. Nico nods.

“Yeah, almost done. Just need to think of something for Will.L I don’t know why it’s so hard.”

“I’m telling you. I think he’ll accept a kiss just fine,” Piper says.

“I’m not going to kiss him and then say that it’s his gift. I want to do something more than that.” Piper wiggles her eyebrows. “Something that shows I care for him but won’t scare him away.”

“That wouldn’t scare me away,” Piper hums. “You could make him cookies. Or figure out what his favorite food is and make that. You don’t always have to buy something.”

Nico nods. He isn’t sure how he could work that into a conversation, though, without being obvious.

“You’ll think of something. Still got time.”

Nico supposes that’s true. At least he doesn’t have to worry about everyone else anymore. “Wait. Should I get a gift for his cat, too?”

Piper smiles. “You’re so cute, Nico.”

Nico huffs. “I’m serious. Is that something people do?”

“They can. It’s not really a requirement., though.”

Now that he’s got the idea, he can’t quite get it out of his head. Maybe he could get her a little toy or something. But what could he get Will?

Nico’s still thinking about it when they get back. Piper grins when she picks up a package, handing it to Nico.

“They strike again! Open it!”

“Let me set my stuff down first.” He glances at the note.

_You’re probably wondering who I am and what the goal of this is, _it reads. _Hopefully, I’ll find the courage to tell you soon. Until then, I hope you’ve been enjoying the gifts. (I promise I’m not a creep.)_

Nico groans. Still no clues. He opens the gift, rolling his eyes when he sees that it’s a Christmas sweater. It’s red with reindeer knitted on the front. They’re decorating each other’s antlers with ornaments and mistletoe. It’s both festive and a little silly, and Nico finds himself smiling.

“Cute. Boy knows what you need,” Piper says. “And he’s not a creep. Bonus.”

Nico snorts. He wants to know if it’s Will, but he’s willing to wait a few more days to find out. Until then, he can figure out what he’s gifting Will for Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so much for your comments and dedication to this fic :) it's been so fun to write -- I know writers are told to write for themselves, but it does help (a lot) to have wonderful readers :) so thank you, and I hope you all are looking forward to day 25!


	21. cuddles

There’s a knock on Nico’s door. He rolls himself off the couch. Since his day off, he hasn’t done much. Jason’s hanging out with Piper today, leaving Nico to further his relationship with the couch. He’s still in his pajamas, curled up under his new blanket. It’s quickly become his favorite, soft and big enough to just bury himself in.

“What?” he groans, opening the door. He’s met with Will’s face.

“Um, hey, hope I’m not intruding,” he says. “But Olive missed you. She’s upset that all of my waking hours haven’t been spent with her. Thought you could give her some love.”

Nico smiles. “I think I can do that.” Olive practically leaps into Nico’s arms at that, and Will laughs. “You’re also welcome to hang out, too. If you want.”

“Sure. Could use some Nico-time myself,” Will says, letting himself in. Nico rolls his eyes, still holding Olive. She bats gently at his face, thumping her tail against his stomach. He adjusts his hold, kissing her head. Olive starts purring immediately.

“Do you want anything to drink or eat?” Nico asks. He’s not sure what he’s got in the fridge, but he’s sure that there’s at least water and crackers. “If you’d come tomorrow, there would have been cookies.”

“Guess I’ll just have to come back tomorrow, then,” Will says. He helps himself to a glass of water, settling on the couch next to Nico. Olive’s made a home for herself in Nico’s lap, purring away. She’s warm and comfy, and Nico thinks he could spend all day just cuddling with her.

“Olive missed you, so you brought her to someone else?” Nico asks.

“Well, I thought she’d like double the attention,” Will says. “And it’s a bonus that we both like you.”

Nico feels himself blush, hiding it by leaning over to kiss Olive’s head. After a while, Olive’s stretched over both of their laps, and Nico’s hip is pressed flush against Will’s. Honestly, Nico’s not sure he’s ever felt this warm before, just cuddled up between Olive and Will. Will looks sleepy as his sips his water, little bags underneath his eyes. Nico wonders if he’s been overworking himself between the holidays and not having enough staff at the animal shelter.

“So, how’s your Christmas shopping going?” Will asks.

Nico sighs. “I, um, forgot one person. A cousin.” Will nods, blue eyes fixed on Nico.

“Have any ideas for them?”

Nico shakes his head. “None, really.”

“Wanna tell me about them?” Will shifts so his head is leaning against the back of the couch as he looks at Nico.

He thinks about it, thinks about what he could say. “Well, um, they’re really nice and they like animals and food.”

“Animal crackers?” Will suggests.

Nico laughs hard enough to startle Olive. She lets out a disgruntled meow, batting at Will’s chest. He scoops her up, kissing her head. She lets out a string of purrs, and Nico smiles. They’re so cute together.

“Yes, princess. I love you.” He boops her nose, and Olive bats his own nose with her paw. “Thank you.”

“Are you hungry?” Nico asks. “I can probably make us some lunch.”

He gets up, stretching a little, hoping just a little that Will’s watching. He wanders into the kitchen, making them grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. It’s lazy and easy, but the smile on Will’s face makes it seem like Nico’s a chef at a high-end restaurant.

Will does seem more subdued than usual, yawning as he finishes up his sandwich.

“You okay?”

Will hums. “Yeah, just tired. I’m not really a fan of it getting dark so early.”

“Can’t sleep?” Nico asks.

Will shrugs. “Not that. Just feel kind of heavy sometimes.” Olive hops into his lap at this. She’d been curled up on the couch, a furry spot in Nico’s blanket. Will smiles softly, kissing her head as he strokes her back. “Got kind of lonely, maybe.”

He looks at Nico as he says this, not quite meeting Nico’s eyes.

“Well, I’ve been told I’m pretty okay company,” he says.

Will gives a small smile, nodding. “I mean, Olive really did miss me. And you. So I thought if you weren’t doing anything. Hope I really wasn’t intruding.”

“Nope,” Nico says. “I’ve just been getting reacquainted with the couch.”

“I’m probably too acquainted with my couch right now. But I like yours. Nice to, uh, meet new couches.”

They make their way back to the couch, and Will and Olive practically snuggle into Nico. He doesn’t mind at all, just flipping on the TV and scanning through the channels. Olive’s purring again, and it’s all so comfortable and domestic. Nico lays the blanket over Will’s lap, careful to not cover his or Olive’s face.

“If you do that, I’m gonna fall asleep,” Will says.

“I don’t mind,” Nico says softly. He really wants to run his fingers through Will’s hair. It looks so soft and fluffy, and this close, he could trace Will’s freckles. He holds himself back, though. Will was just looking for company. He wasn’t here to start anything with Nico. So Nico pets Olive, holding his breath for a few seconds when Will’s head presses gently against his shoulder.

Nico absently watches TV and scrolls through his phone while Will sleeps. He’s not sure if Will has work today or not, but he doesn’t want to be the person who wakes him. His breathing is coming soft and steady, and Nico can imagine falling asleep beside Will every night, Olive snuggled between them.

After a bit, he must drift off, too, because he wakes to Jason coming in. Nico rubs his eyes, taking in Jason’s raised eyebrows and not-so-subtle smirk.

“Good nap?” Jason asks.

Nico presses a finger to his lips. “Shh. And don’t tell Piper.”

Jason smiles, rolling his eyes. “She probably already knows somehow.”

Nico shoos Jason away, looking at his phone. He hasn’t been asleep too long, just over an hour. But he should probably wake Will up. He definitely wasn’t going to sleep tonight if he slept the day away. Nico shifts, shaking Will gently. He opens his eyes, blinking in confusion.

“Nico? Gods, sorry. How long have I been here?”

Nico shakes his head. “Just a few hours. Good nap?”

Will rubs his eyes, humming. “Yeah, I think I needed that.” He yawns, sitting up. Olive’s moved to the back of the couch, watching both of them. Her tail smacks Nico in the face. “I should probably go, though. Got some things I need to do.”

“Well, you’re welcome over any time,” Nico says.

Will beams at him, running a hand through his hair. It takes all of Nico’s willpower to not kiss him right then and there. Though why shouldn’t he?

“I’ll see you around, then,” Will says. He scoops Olive up, and Nico walks him to the door.

“See you around, Will.”


	22. notebook

“Why didn’t you kiss him?” Piper asks.

“I don’t know. He was just looking for some company,” Nico says, shrugging. “Or his cat was.”

“He admitted he came to see you,” Piper huffs. “He said he was feeling down, and he came to see you.”

“We’re friends. It’s what friends do, right?”

Piper hums, and Nico can tell she’s trying to think of a way to respond. They’re having breakfast at a nicer brunch place than the diner, Nico’s treat. It’s Piper’s way of celebrating the end of the school year, by indulging her love of breakfast foods.

“Okay, but not every friend looks at you like they want to kiss you. And you know it. Besides, I’m sure he has other friends.”

Nico pouts, wishing that their food would get here sooner. He can’t deny the fact that he wants to kiss Will, and he can’t deny the fact that he really hopes Will wants to kiss him back. But there’s also the fear that maybe Will won’t want to kiss him back. And then he’ll have ruined everything.

“You’re overthinking again.”

“I’m hungry.” Nico huffs.

“For Will,” Piper says, winking.

Nico wants to bury his face in a pancake, preferably a delicious pancake with chocolate chips. He definitely hasn’t had a crush like this in quite some time, and he’s not sure what to do about it other than be ridiculously awkward and overthink everything. He’s grateful when their breakfast arrives.

“I’m still thinking about his gift. I don’t have any ideas yet.” He sighs. “I tried to ask him, and he said animal crackers.”

Piper laughs. “He would love your baking. And if he didn’t, then he’s not the one for you.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “I think he liked my cookies, but I’m not making him animal crackers after everything he’s given me.”

“I’m still saying a kiss would do,” Piper says before shoving a bite of French toast into her mouth. Nico watches her make another forkful, scooping berries and whipped cream together. “Or if you don’t believe me, a few kisses would probably do the trick.”

“After I think of his gift,” Nico says. “Like a tangible gift.”

Piper hums. “I’m holding you to that.”

They’re quiet for a few minutes, eating their food. Piper finishes first, practically licking her plate clean before the waitress takes it from their table. Nico laughs as Piper eyes the food of the other tables.

“You can order another plate if you want,” Nico says.

Piper shakes her head. “No, my eyes are just bigger than my stomach.” She settles for watching Nico finish his food. “I know I come across kind of pushy about Will, but I really do want you to be happy. And you’re so happy when you’re with him.”

“I know you mean well, Pipes. It’s just a kind of big deal, know?”

Piper smiles. “I know. You haven’t kissed anyone in forever.” She signals for the check. “Okay, so let’s brainstorm gifts for him.”

Nico pays, and they head out. “I don’t know. I feel like he’d pretend to like anything I gave him, but I want him to actually like it, you know? Because he’s been so good at giving me gifts. Or even if he’s not, I do like him.”

His cheeks flush as he says this, but Piper only smiles. “You could give him a date,” she says. “Like take him somewhere you think he’d like.”

It’s not a bad idea, but Nico would have to actually ask him out first.

“What do you think he’d like?”

Piper shrugs. “I don’t know. You’re the one who’s gotten to know him. What do you think he’d like?”

Nico hums. He looks in the shop windows, thinking about the gifts he’d gotten his friends. He wants Will’s gift to mean as much to him.

“You could probably take him to a random spot on the sidewalk and say it was his gift, and he’d love it. Because he was with you,” Piper says.

“Well, I’d like to impress him a bit more than that,” Nico says, laughing.

“So, how about we narrow it down. Are you thinking about dinner? Movie? Museum?”

“I’ve already cooked for him. But it wasn’t very fancy. And I don’t know, fancy dinners seem too much for a first date.”

“What if you got him and yourself and his cat all matching sweaters?” Piper asks.

Nico makes a face, though he’s sure Will’s the type of person who would actually appreciate something like that. Nico isn’t, though, so he’s not going to subject himself to it just to get a date out of Will. He pulls out his phone, scrolling through his text conversations with Will, looking for clues.

There’s got to be something in there, right? Something Will’s mentioned wanting to do.

“He loves breakfast food,” Nico says. “I could maybe take him out for a brunch.”

Piper smiles. “A way to a man’s heart and all. Besides, breakfast is the best. Can’t go wrong with that.”

Nico hums. He smiles at the idea, already imagining himself sitting at a restaurant across from Will. Or he could make breakfast. If only he knew of Will’s favorite breakfast food. Usually, Will had oatmeal or eggs, but that didn’t mean it was his favorite.

_Nico: I’m taking a poll. What’s your favorite breakfast food?_

It doesn’t take Will long to answer, and Nico laughs.

_Will: That’s like asking me to pick my favorite cat (Olive, obviously!) Probably chocolate chip or blueberry pancakes_.

That was easy enough. And Nico could whip those up on any given day with how much chocolate he and Jason hoarded on a daily basis.

“What’s got you smiling over there?” Piper asks. They’ve finally made it back to Nico’s apartment building.

“Nothing. Just ideas coming together.”

Piper grins. “Don’t forget to tell me all about it!”

Nico rolls his eyes. “Of course.”

He’s still smiling as he gets to his door, forgetting momentarily what the package on his doorstep is doing there. Then he catches sight of a small note.

_Nico, sorry if this gift seems kind of lame in comparison to the others. Thinking of so many gifts is hard, but hopefully, you’ve been enjoying them! Thought you could write down all of your brilliant thoughts in this one_. _Hopefully, I’ll find the courage to reveal myself soon!_

Nico hums a Christmas song as he brings the package inside. It’s small and rectangular, and he thinks it’s a book. Nico rips off the paper, looking at the journal in his hands. It was an empty notebook, the cover minimally decorated with looping script that just said NOTES.

Nico doesn’t have much use for a notebook, but he can think of some ways he could use it. He’s still got all of those job applications floating around in some internet void, and he’s got lists he could make. Or it could be a multi-purpose journal. He sets it on his desk, next to his computer.

Thinking of so many gifts must be hard, but Nico’s pretty impressed. Quickly, he grabs his notebook and a pen, jotting down all of the gifts he’s received so far. He writes down the list of small clues he’s accumulated. All in all, there isn’t much detail coming to light.

Nico’s phone buzzes again, and Nico can’t stop himself from thinking that it’s Will leaving all of these gifts for Nico. And if there are going to be twenty-five, what’s the last one going to be? Nico knows what he’s hoping for, but he doesn’t want to get too excited.

_Will: What’s your favorite breakfast food? Gotta know if we’re compatible._

Nico rolls his eyes.

_Nico: Chocolate chip pancakes. Or anything breakfast food that can be eaten with chocolate_.

_Will: Is that what you’re hoping Santa brings you for Christmas? A ton of chocolate?_

_Nico: That and maybe some other things. I’ve got a list._

_Will: Mine’s pretty short, but I’m hoping :) here’s to holiday miracles_

Nico smiles. The text is followed by a photo of Will clinking his glass of water against Olive’s water bowl, a cheesy smile on his face. Nico laughs. If he wanted to, he could run across the hall and ask Will right now. But he’s willing to wait. After all, good things come to those who wait, right?

_Nico: Now it’s gotta come true._

_Will: I have a good feeling :) hope all your wishes come true, too_

Nico looks at the text. He does, too.


	23. picture frames

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hazel comes to visit :)

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to be here early?” Nico asks. Hazel just looks sheepish as she shrugs, throwing her arms around her brother.

“Thought I’d surprise you. Besides, Jason said you weren’t doing anything. Now, be happy to see me.”

Which is true. Aside from whenever Piper or Jason dragged him out of the apartment, he pretty much just got acquainted with the couch and binge-watched whatever he felt like.

“You know I’m always happy to see you,” Nico says. “But I could have at least gotten some things ready if I knew you were coming today.” He hugs her back, hating that she was maybe just half an inch taller than him now.

“You mean getting yourself off the couch?” Hazel teases. “We all know there’s a reason I stay over with Piper.” She gives his shoulder a light punch, smiling.

“How’ve you been? How’s Frank?”

Hazel smiles. “Frank’s good. I’m heading back after Christmas to spend it with his family. I can’t believe it’s been two years now. How’ve you been? Piper tells me you’ve got a crush or something?”

“New rule: no more gossiping with Piper.” Hazel doesn’t seem ashamed in the slightest, and Nico sighs. “And it’s not really a crush. Maybe just a secret admirer or sorts. They’ve been leaving me gifts every day. Well, mostly every day.”

When Hazel doesn’t seem satisfied with that answer, he leads her to his bedroom where he’s got most of his presents stashed. The blanket is spread over his bed, the dinosaur plushie by his pillow. His Christmas cactus is doing well (or so he hopes). His snow globe sits on his desk now.

“These are really cute. Whoever’s leaving these for you must really like you, Nico,” Hazel says. “Have you figured out who it is?”

Nico shakes his head. “Not really. There haven’t been any clues.”

“But there’s someone you want it to be?”

“You should stop believing everything Piper says,” he pouts.

Hazel crosses her arms. “You’ve forgotten that I know you, too. Please, you’ve been smiling since I mentioned this crush. Tell me. Or I’ll have to ask Piper.”

“I think it might be Will,” Nico whispers. He doesn’t want this secret to travel through their thin walls before it’s supposed to. What if Will thinks Nico knows and stops giving him gifts because Nico hasn’t done anything yet? Nico’s not ready yet.

“Like your neighbor that you’ve been infatuated with but have never talked to?”

“We’ve talked. Well, more so recently. And texting.”

Hazel smiles. “I’m really happy for you, Nico.”

Nico blushes a little. He’s happy for himself, too. Not that he’s been too hard on himself lately, but it is kind of hard when all of your best friends are dating each other. It would be nice to have someone for himself. (Though he supposes he’s going to have to share with Olive.)

He ends up taking Hazel around town, showing her different shops and Christmas light displays. They don’t get to see each other much, so it’s nice that she decided to surprise him. Nico had gotten so caught up in the secret admirer thing that he’d completely forgotten about the holiday party tomorrow. Not that Piper would let him forget for too long. She was bound to show up sometime tonight and help them get everything ready.

“So do you have all of your gifts?” Hazel asks. “Frank helped me find the perfect white elephant gift.”

“Yeah, Will helped me. Well, he gave me ideas. We didn’t actually shop together,” Nico says. It’s both weird and nice to be starting this story over from the beginning. Nico can almost pinpoint when he really started hoping it was Will and when his crush turned into maybe something a little more.

“I want to meet this Will. Is he coming to the party?” Hazel asks.

“Yeah, Piper nagged me to invite him.”

“And I’m sure the prospect of mistletoe had nothing to do with it.” Nico shrugs. He’s gotten caught under the mistletoe at these parties before. It wasn’t really hard to do what with an apartment full of people and Piper trying to kiss everyone before the night was over.

“I mean, if it happens, it happens,” he says. Hazel bumps his shoulder, smiling.

“We can definitely make it happen.”

“I just want it to be perfect, you know? Like if he’s really the one giving me these gifts, I want my gift to be equal to them. Like that I’ve thought about him as much.”

“You have,” Hazel says.

“I don’t want it to just be a kiss under the mistletoe, though, like it was just a coincidence. I want him to know I meant to.”

Hazel smiles. “Who is this boy that’s turned my brother into a romantic? Seriously, I want to meet him.”

Nico rolls his eyes. They stop for hot chocolate at the diner. Nico orders his usual, hoping that none the staff comes to talk to him.He just feels weird about doing business at the place he’s currently employed. Lou Ellen doesn’t seem to care about this, though, as she comes over to offer him more whipped cream.

“So, any updates?”

Hazel seems amused as Nico briefly recounts the most recent events.

“Seriously, di Angelo, if you don’t make a move soon, I’m gonna drag you to his door myself.” Then she leaves, taking the whipped cream with her.

“Seems like everyone’s pretty invested,” Hazel says.

Nico nods. “I don’t really mind, but it kind of makes it feel like a big deal, you know?”

Hazel hums. “It doesn’t have to be this super big deal, but it is kind of a big thing. I mean, he’s left you at least twenty gifts by now, and he’s waited this long for your oblivious butt to catch on. So he’s clearly head over heels for you. It’s a big deal, but it doesn’t have to have the pressure of it.”

Nico lets out a breath. “Thanks, Hazel. I guess I just want it to be special for him.”

She pats his hand. “It’s gonna be special because it comes from you. So just take a deep breath and let Christmas work its magic.”

That sounded like a good idea. So Nico puts it out of his mind for a few hours, just enjoying the time with Hazel. They take way too many pictures and buy way too many sweets, but it’s Christmas. And Nico’s going to enjoy himself.

It’s not until they get back to the apartment to meet up with Jason and Piper that Nico thinks about his secret admirer again.

“Is that it?” Hazel asks, looking at the wrapped package by the door. Nico nods. He’s never had so many eyes on him while he’s opened a gift before, so he almost misses the note.

_Guess it’s almost Christmas, which means that you’ll soon know who I am. One more gift to go after this. Hope it’s not too much that I’m counting myself as the twenty-fifth gift (it’s really hard to think of twenty-five things) (oops, that was a spoiler)._

“Ooh,” Piper coos. “Someone’s smooth. Maybe you’ll get to unwrap them.”

Nico swats at her before unwrapping his gift for today. He’s surprised to see two picture frames. Most of his pictures are on his phone or in photo albums at his dad’s house. But it’d be nice to have printed photos to have around the apartment. Now, he just has to decide which ones.

“So one more gift to go. And then the big reveal,” Jason says. He gives Nico a smile. “It’s going to be fine.”

“He’s right. What we have to think about right now is the party tomorrow! Hope you’re ready to make cookies!”

Nico laughs. The Christmas party is always fun, and it’s been a while since he’s been with all of his friends at once. Sure to be chaotic but good.

“First, dinner. I’m starving,” Nico says.


	24. calendar

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is right around the corner, and Nico’s feeling the usual excitement mixed with something else this year. He thinks that it’s probably because he’s going to figure out who his secret admirer is soon. And Will’s bound to arrive any time now.

Percy and Annabeth have already arrived, as well as Piper and Hazel. Jason’s busying himself in the kitchen, trying to get all of the food ready while Nico got roped into making sure the white elephant gifts stayed separate from the actual gifts. Honestly, he’s pretty sure that he’s just been given a job to keep himself busy.

Will’s the last one to arrive, and Nico can’t stop tugging at his new Christmas sweater. He’s not sure if it’s the best idea to have worn the sweater that his secret admirer gave him to a party that he’s invited Will to if he’s still not completely sure they’re the same person. But he likes the sweater more than he thought he would. It’s just a little big and very warm and definitely his style.

“Hey, Nico, Will just got here,” Jason says. He hands Nico a glass of what looks to be punch, and Nico takes a sip. He’s not sure if it’s got alcohol in it, but he can dream. He’s not sure how he’s going to make it through tonight. All morning he’d kept himself busy by baking cookies and furiously cleaning the apartment until Piper announced they could eat off the floor if they’d like.

“Do I look okay?” Nico asks.

“You look very festive. Go find Hazel and introduce her.”

Nico nods. That was a good idea. He could introduce Will to everyone, get him to mingle. Then Nico wouldn’t have to wrack his brain to figure out what to say. He quickly finds Hazel, suddenly aware that there are really only a handful of people here.

“Is that Will?” Hazel asks, smiling. “He’s cute.”

Nico rolls his eyes, probably squeezing his glass too tightly.

“Hey, Nico!” Will says. He’s carrying a small package, and Nico’s disappointed to see that it’s not the familiar wrapping paper that always finds itself on his doorstep. Instead, this is a penguin-printed paper. “Thanks for inviting me. Everything looks amazing.”

Nico smiles. “Thanks for coming. You can set your gift over there. And help yourself to whatever food or drink is out. Also, this is Hazel. My sister.”

“Nice to meet you, Will,” Hazel says, smiling. “I’ve heard a lot about you, so it’s great to finally meet you.” She nudges Nico’s shoulder.

Will beams. “Yeah, it’s nice to celebrate Christmas with friends. Though my cat seems to think I’ve abandoned her,” Will adds.

“You can bring her over,” Nico blurts out. “I mean, if she doesn’t mind the chaos. No one here is allergic to cats.”

“Are you sure?” Will asks. “She’ll get really clingy and such. And I don’t want her hair to get all over the food.”

Nico shakes his head. “I don’t mind. We all love cats.”

Will brightens at this. “Okay, I’ll be right back.” He hands his gift to Nico, hurrying across the hall. Nico tries to avoid Hazel’s smile.

“You’re so gone for him. It’s cute.” She pats his shoulder, weaving her way around Piper and Jason dancing. Nico deposits the gift in the correct location after checking for a name. Nothing. Then he stations himself by the food and tries not to eat away his feelings.

“Hey, man,” he can hear Jason saying as Will reenters. Olive’s curled up in Will’s arms, taking in the party. She leans forward to say hi to Jason, and Nico smiles. Will looks a little more relaxed with Olive in his arms, and Olive looks way too excited about Nico’s Christmas tree.

“If she gets into any trouble, just let me know,” Will says. “I can take her back to my place.”

“No problem, man. I’m sure she’ll behave. Nico vouches for her.” At this, Nico ducks his head so that he doesn’t have to meet Will’s gaze. It’s one thing to invite a neighbor to a party. It’s quite another thing to vouch for their cat. He hears Hazel squeal with delight as Olive rubs up against her legs.

“Guys, this party has officially started!” Percy yells. He’s already dancing to whatever music he’s put on, and Nico laughs. Percy was never super graceful out of the water, but he made up for it with his enthusiasm. He pulls Annabeth into a sort of waltz, and Nico feels himself relaxing a bit. It was just a party. A party he had every year with his friends. Will was a friend. He could do this.

“So, food before or after white elephant?” Annabeth asks.

“Maybe after. That way it could distract from everyone trying to steal my gift,” Nico teases. Annabeth rolls her eyes.

“Not our fault that you somehow pick the best gift every year.” Nico shrugs. He doesn’t think he really gets the best gift every year, but he has gotten the most stolen gift every year. Even though the rules are that you can’t steal the gift once the game is over. Not that they’re all ones for rules.

“White elephant time!” Annabeth calls after Percy almost knocks over a lamp. She smiles fondly at him, ruffling his hair as she passes out their numbers. Will sits beside Nico on the floor, even though Nico supposes he could probably have kicked Olive off of her current spot on the couch.

“Who’s got one?” Jason asks. Piper looks disappointed as she holds up her number. She picks a rectangular package from the center and holds it in her lap.

“Not giving any of you the satisfaction of knowing what this is,” she huffs.

The game continues on with Nico falling in the middle. He’s very tempted to go for the penguin-printed package, but he’s also got his eyes on the mug that Percy’s just unwrapped. Not that he needs another mug, but it never hurts. He switches with Percy, who just pouts.

“Guess I’ll take this one, then,” he says, grabbing the gift Will had brought. “Wonder what it is.”

Only half of the gifts are unwrapped currently. Piper’s still holding hers protectively, and Nico’s starting to wonder if she knows what it is. Everyone waits to see if Percy will open it, but he doesn’t. The game continues to Will. He glances around the circle before going for one in the middle.

It’s the one Nico had bought, but he doesn’t know that. Nico watches Will unwrap it. Will laughs as he pulls out a reindeer headband. Usually, Nico had better white elephant ideas, but he’d been stressing over what to get Will, so all of his creativity had flown out the window. Will puts the headband and Nico’s glad that he’s sitting beside him so he doesn’t have to actively avoid looking at him.

“Aww,” Piper coos.

“Okay, so everyone gets one last turn,” Annabeth says once all of the gifts have been picked. “You can either steal a gift or make someone else swap.”

There’s a pause as everyone looks around the circle. Piper’s gift is still wrapped, and Nico really hopes he didn’t just see her wink. She goes first, swapping her gift with Percy’s. Percy looks confused, but he goes with it, trading his new gift for the glow-in-the-dark stickers Jason got. Nico watches the gifts go around, trying to figure out what he wants to do when it gets to him.

The gift Will brought is still wrapped as well, and Nico’s so tempted to go after it. He’s not too pleased with the book of jokes he’s currently holding after a bad swap with Hazel.

“I want yours,” he says to Jason. Nico glances over at Will before tearing the paper off the gift. He’s not sure what he’s expecting, but it’s definitely not Grumpy cat stickers. Nico laughs, reading off the captions. Some of them he’s seen before, but these are Christmas-themed.

“Alright, Will. You’re last,” Percy says. “To steal or not to steal. That is the question.”

Annabeth rolls her eyes, kissing his cheek. “Nice one, Seaweed Brain.”

In the end, Will chooses to stay with his reindeer headband. Nico supposes everyone thought he was too cute with it on to steal it from him. Nico’s just glad he gets to keep his stickers.

“Time to eat,” Jason says. “And we have plates this year, so no just eating from the bowls.”

Everyone groans, but Jason gives them all a look. “We didn’t splurge on plates for you guys to be heathens,” Nico calls. He decides to wait until everyone else has gotten their food, smiling when Olive plops herself onto his lap.

“She’s wanting her own gift,” Will says. “Usually, I let her open one tonight.”

“She has more than one gift?”

Will shrugs. “What can I say? I’m a bachelor with only my cat to buy presents for.”

“Not your siblings?”

Will snorts. “No, we draw for those. Too many siblings and all that. I’ve already gotten Kayla a gift, though.” He leans over to kiss Olive’s head. “You can open your gift when we get back, okay?”

Olive purrs, and Will kisses her again.

“We’d better get food before they eat it all,” Nico says. Will nods in agreement, letting Olive curl back up in the blankets.

With food, everyone settles down for a bit. Percy puts on a movie, and they all crowd onto Nico’s couch. Hazel manages to get the last seat, saving room for Olive beside her. She pats Olive’s head before turning to Nico.

“So, good night so far?” Nico hums. “He hasn’t stopped looking at you all night.”

Nico chances a glance at Will. Currently, his eyes are glued to the TV where the Grinch is trying to shove himself down a chimney. Hazel nudges Nico gently.

“You’ve figured out what you’re doing?”  
Nico nods. He hasn’t figured out the logistics of how everything’s gonna work, but he’s got the gift. “Yeah, something small but nice,” he says.

Hazel smiles. “Don’t forget to tell me when you guys start dating, okay?”

Nico rolls his eyes. “Of course.”

The rest of the night goes back and forth between being completely chill and chaos breaking out. Percy suggests they play a game of hide-and-seek around eight. And then there’s a dance contest around nine-thirty. Every now and then Piper or Percy try to catch someone under the mistletoe. Nico thinks it’s suspicious that Piper never tries to get him and Will, but he appreciates it. He doesn’t want his first kiss to be because of mistletoe. Around eleven, Hazel has to get going so she can catch her flight back tomorrow, so Piper takes her home. Annabeth suggests they leave after Percy tries to start a game of truth or dare.

Nico realizes he’s dozed off on the couch. Olive’s nestled in beside him, and he can hear Jason and Will talking in the kitchen. He assumes everyone else has left if the lack of presents under the tree is anything to go by. The parties usually end early-ish with everyone having their own plans on Christmas, even if that’s just sleeping off a hangover.

He’s got a few texts from Hazel, reminding him to call tomorrow and wish their dad a merry Christmas.

“Up for one last movie?” Jason asks. Nico shrugs. “You’re welcome to join, too, Will.”

“One last one,” Will says, yawning. “Then Olive will want to open her gift.”

“Also, man, this was left outside the door,” Jason says. He hands Nico a gift, and Nico’s heart stutters a bit. Will’s watching him carefully. There’s just his name on the note today, but he can’t help thinking that this is his last one. Tomorrow, it all comes down to him.

“Open it,” Will says gently, and Nico does.

It’s a calendar. Nico flips it over to see the pictures for each month.

“I didn’t even know they made Greek mythology calendars,” Nico says. “The art is amazing.” He smiles, ripping off the plastic so he can page through the months. He’s such a nerd, but he’s already excited to start writing out dates and meetings on this new calendar.

While he’s been looking at his calendar, Jason’s put on a new movie. The Christmas Story, a weird Christmas classic. Looking over at Will, Nico can’t read his reaction to the gift. Has it been Will all this time? Is there really someone else? Will would have had plenty of opportunities to slip out and drop a gift off. Especially during that heated debate over whether or not water was wet.

Nico doesn’t ask. He has a feeling that it’s all part of the Christmas surprise, so he keeps his mouth shut. Besides, he wants it to be special. And he has a feeling tomorrow’s going to be special. So he settles into the couch, nestled between Jason and Will and Olive, the movie playing on the screen.

“Merry Christmas Eve, guys,” Jason says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so who do you guys think is leaving the gifts? (as if it's not completely obvious haha)
> 
> thank you so much to everyone who's kept up with this fic and dropped lovely comments :) it means so much to me, and I'm so happy that I could give you all some Christmas/holiday fluff :) only the reveal left to go -- stay tuned haha
> 
> also, if you haven't yet, check out buoyantsaturn's advent fic "the sickly sweet holidays keep me in bed" -- it's amazing :) shoutout to solangeloweek for organizing this event (and the many others) :)


	25. breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for sticking it out to the end with me, all :) it's been so amazing and fun, and I hope that you all like this ending and have a good holiday season :)

Nico wakes with a crick in his neck and a fuzzy, warm feeling. At first, he thinks he’s in his bed, but he doesn’t remember getting there last night. In fact, he can’t remember much after opening his gift. The calendar is sitting just a few feet away on the coffee table, which means that he’s still on the couch. He blinks, trying to sit up when he realizes that there’s something warm slung over his waist.

His first thought is Jason, but Jason wasn’t much of a cuddler. Even as kids, Jason had a tendency to hog the entire bed somehow, forcing Nico to huddle up in one corner of the bed. Actually, Nico’s not sure where Jason is. He’s not at the end of the couch or on the floor. Maybe he was in his room. Like a responsible adult.

“Meow.” Nico blinks, realizing that somehow Olive’s stretched herself across Nico’s belly, making herself completely at home on Nico’s sweater. She’s looking at him with her big eyes. If Olive was still here, that meant Will was here, too, right?

Nico slowly turns, giving Olive a chance to right herself as Nico realizes that the warm thing he’s laying on isn’t the couch but Will. And they’re cuddling? Sort of. Nico was nuzzled up against Will’s chest, his head tucked gently under Will’s chin. Will had stolen the couch pillows, but Nico had the blankets, so he supposes it was well within Will’s right to use him as a blanket since Nico was using him as a pillow.

Olive gets up, stretching. Then she walks across Nico, standing right over Will. She bats his gently in the face, and Will tries to move his arm to push her away.

“Sleeping, princess,” he mumbles. It’s cute, and Nico wishes he could watch this forever. But his arm is falling asleep, and Will’s probably are already asleep. And Olive looks like she might bat Will a little harder this time. So he decides to get up. “Olive?”

“And Nico,” Nico says.

Will opens his eyes, blinking. “Oh, gods, I fell asleep.” He rubs his eyes. “Talk about overstaying. I can go now.”

“It’s okay, really. Usually, you’re not the only one. But everyone was responsible last night.”

Olive meows again, and Will pulls her into his chest. “I know, princess.” He looks at Nico. “She’s hungry and wants to open her presents,” he says. “Oh, merry Christmas.”

Nico smiles. “Merry Christmas, Will.”

They sit there a little bit longer until Olive reminds them that she’s hungry. “Gods, I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to just dash,” Will says. Olive bats his cheek. “I’ll see you later today, yeah?”

Nico smiles. “Yeah, we can do that.” His heart his thumping in his chest. Will’s gift.

“Maybe in an hour or so? I, um, have a gift for you.”

Will’s cheeks redden. “I have a gift for you, too. Well, sort of.”

Nico nods. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, but after I feed this princess.”

Nico laughs. “Yes, you do that. Just knock. I’ll probably be cleaning up.”

Will nods, standing up. He looks way too cute in his rumpled Christmas sweater and jeans, his curls messy. His headband had fallen off sometime last night, but Nico doesn’t mind. Will stretches, scratching Olive’s head. Nico walks him to the door.

The moment Will’s gone, he starts cleaning up. He has to make this place look somewhat presentable if he’s going to be making Will breakfast. He quickly packages up everything, dumping the half-full glasses into the sink. Luckily, most of the stuff just goes in the trash.

Jason pads into the room just as Nico’s finishing.

“Mornin’. Christmas.”

Nico snorts. “Yup. Merry Christmas.”

Jason goes in for a hug, and Nico lets him. When he pulls away, Nico starts getting out pans and bowls. “What’s all this?”

“I’m making breakfast. For Will? He said he’ll be back over in a little bit.”

“Can I snatch a pancake before I go?” Jason asks. “I’m headed over to Piper’s for a bit.”

Nico nods. Jason and Piper usually hung out with her dad for the morning before coming back to the apartment to chill the day away.

Nico’s just setting the table when there’s a knock on the door. Jason grabs a pancake, winking.

“That’s my cue.”

Will’s dressed in a new Christmas sweater, sans Olive this time. “Merry Christmas, again,” he says. “Um, here’s your present.”

Nico blinks, not actually expecting anything as Will holds out a card.

“Can I open it now?”

Will nods. “Yeah, and sorry if it’s too forward.” He runs a hand through his hair, shifting on his feet. Nico’s glad Jason’s gone now, so he can process this by himself. He opens the card.

_Merry Christmas, Nico!_

Nico flips the card over, thinking that there’s gotta be more somewhere. He looks at Will.

“Right, so, um, you’ve probably noticed the gifts that I’ve been leaving,” he starts. “And I thought it’d be a cute way to say merry Christmas. And that I really like you? Because, you know, _all I want for Christmas is you_.” Nico blushes as Will breaks into the slightly off-key lyric.

Nico blinks, smiling. “I was hoping it was you,” he says softly.

“Really? You suspected me?”

Nico nods. “Yeah. And you have horrible handwriting.”

Will laughs, looking so relieved. “So you like me back?”

“I’ve kind of had this massive crush on you for a while now,” Nico says. “And I’ve loved all of the gifts.”

“Glad to hear. Guess I really am a master gift-giver, huh?” Nico’s definitely got “All I Want for Christmas” stuck in his head now, but he doesn’t mind. Especially not with Will singing it, no matter how off-key he may be. The whole thing is so cheesy, practically out of a Hallmark Christmas special, but maybe that’s what Nico deserves. Some Christmas fluff.

“Well, now it’s my turn to give you a gift,” Nico says, rolling his eyes as Will does a little wiggle to go with his singing. Nico gestures to the table. “I, um, made you breakfast. Or us. I won’t make you eat alone.”

Will beams. “I just realized I completely forgot to eat breakfast,” he says. “Too nervous, I guess.”

“Good thing. I’m told I make delicious pancakes.”

Will’s still beaming, and Nico can’t help but lean in and kiss his cheek. It’s clearly a surprise to both of them. Both of their cheeks are probably red by now, but Nico doesn’t care. He’s just so happy. He doesn’t care if gets to stand here forever. Until Will’s stomach growls, and Nico decides they should eat his pancakes before they get cold.

“Gods, I love pancakes. I’d eat them every day if I weren’t such a sucky cook.”

Nico raises his eyebrows. “Who made those brownies, then?”

“My mom. I inherited none of her kitchen skills.”

Nico hums. “Guess we’ll have to fix that. Can’t have you starving.” He pauses. “So you really left me twenty or so gifts?”

“Twenty-five exactly,” Will says. “And yup. Might’ve been a bit overkill. But I really like you, and I wasn’t sure how to tell you.”

“We got here eventually.”

Will hums. “We did. And with pancakes.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “So it was a good gift?”

“Yeah. And you liked mine, too?” Nico nods. “There’s a bit more if you want.”

Nico looks at him, eyebrows raised. “Do I get to unwrap you?”

He watches Will blush, and he knows his face matches. Will swallows his pancake, looking at Nico. He leans forward, brushing their noses together. Nico finds himself smiling as Will presses their lips together gently. There aren’t any fireworks or hearts skipping beats, but it’s sweet and chocolatey and perfect.

“Not quite unwrapping, but it’s a start, yeah?” Will laughs. Nico rolls his eyes. “I can go get a bow real quick.”

“While I loved the gifts, I kind of wish we’d have started with this,” Nico says. They’re both smiling wide, and Nico thinks this might be the best Christmas so far.

Will laughs. “Well, we can make up for lost time. No mistletoe needed. Though I do have some if we want to be festive.”

Nico rolls his eyes. “Sounds like a deal.”

He leans back in for another kiss (or two or more), smiling.

“Merry Christmas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> part 2 is now up :)

**Author's Note:**

> comments are appreciated :)
> 
> I will do my best to update as regularly as possible, though I cannot promise. Also, if you have any gift recommendations/ideas, please let me know :) I am trying to keep some semblance of a plot, but if it wavers a little, oh well :)


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